Family Communication in the Age of Digital and Social Media
Series:
Edited By Carol J. Bruess
13. “Unplugging the Power Cord”: Uncovering Hidden Power Structures via Mobile Communication Technology Use within the Traditional Marital Dyad
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Uncovering Hidden Power Structures via Mobile Communication Technology Use within the Traditional Marital Dyad
ANDREA GUZIEC IACCHERI
Ohio University
ADAM W. TYMA
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Introduction
According to the Pew Research Internet and American Life Project (Pew Research Publications, 2014), 90% of American adults own cell phones, 81% of cell phone users use text or SMS messaging as their primary communication method, and 21% of those users participate in video chat or video calls. The ever-growing usage of mobile communication technology (MCT), specifically how text-based mobile communication is used by marriage partners, is the focus of this chapter. Although prior and current research increases our understanding of communication between spouses (e.g., Albright & Conran, 2003; Baym, Zhang, Kunkel, Ledbetter, & Lin, 2007; Garcia-Montes, Caballero-Munoz, & Perez-Alvarez, 2006; Jin & Pena, 2010; Kennedy & Wellman, 2007; Licoppe, 2004; Pettigrew, 2009; Ramirez & Broneck, 2009; Solis, 2006), developing theoretical explanations of how married couples communicate via mobile digital technologies is essential, as marital communication is becoming more commonly mediated by, and accomplished via, communication technologies (Lenhart & Duggan, 2014).
Our analysis extends current research on marital communication, computer-mediated communication, and MCT by investigating the practices of text-based mobile communication (e.g., text messages, email, Google Chat, SMS, and MMS) between spouses, or what will be referred to in this chapter as “mobiText.” ← 267 | 268 → For purposes...
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