The effect of social media (digital culture) on family relations

Since beginning of humankind individuals have constituted family by prefering to live as groups in which there are face to face communication and interaction instead of living alone. While family, as a constitution, is effected by other constitution and development in the society, at the same time it effects them. Technology, digital devices, internet and social media have become a few of most effective arguments on family and especially relations in family recently. Having left it's mark on 21th century, social media sieged family life. By means of social media presenting some opportunities such as communication, hiding private datas and photos and constitution ideal identity to people, family members have found chance to communicate with people all around the world and started sharing their ideas and emotions in family by the family members. Having become common especially among the youngs at the beginning, using social media has become common among middleaged and aged people recently. Face to face relations in family has weakened and gone to breakaway point because of social networks such as facebook, twitter and instagram providing digital socializing platform to people. In this research, new opportunities offered by social media to individuals in the family, positive and negative effects of social media on family members' communication and relationship types within the framework of the research universe based on quantitative research methods were examined and recommendations were made about how we can use this opportunity without harming family relations.