New Media and Family Relationships: Between the Absence of Family Dialogue and Social Isolation "A field study in the Department of Sociology at Damascus University"

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify the relationship between the use of new media and the absence of family dialogue and social isolation. To achieve the study's objectives, the descriptive analytical method was adopted using a social survey method with samples, through the application of a questionnaire with three axes (degree of use - family dialogue - social isolation) to a sample of (100) students from the Department of Sociology at Damascus University, who were randomly selected. The study concluded that there is an inverse relationship between following new media and the rates of family dialogue, meaning that the more the rate of viewing social media sites increases, the lower the rates of family dialogue are. There is also a direct relationship between following social media sites and the level of social isolation, meaning that the more the rate of viewing social media sites increases, the higher the rates of social isolation are. Based on the results of the study, a set of proposals was presented that aim to raise awareness among families about the importance of family dialogue and the need to work on establishing it as a useful family practice.