Contract No. 323/2022 – ERANET/ERANET Cofund
Digital platforms have penetrated many areas of daily life, affecting people’s informal
interactions, ways of living and understanding the world, and the institutional structures.
The main objective of the PlatFAMs project is to critically analyze how family relationships are
built in the context of digital platform usage, focusing on the experiences and interactions of
three generations from the same family (children, parents, grandparents).
There are at least two major questions that the current project aims to address:
- What are the opportunities and risks arising from the use of digital platforms by families?
- What are the hopes and fears of different family members regarding the use of digital
platforms?
Based on the data collected, the project aims to generate possible recommendations regarding
the use of digital platforms by families.
The PlatFAMs project focuses on the interactions of three generations (children, parents,
grandparents) in five European countries (Norway, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Romania, and
Spain). These countries were selected based on their diversity, reflected in family life,
technological infrastructure, and socio-cultural context.
PlatFAMs Consortium
- Project Leader: Ola Erstad, University of Oslo, Department of Education, Norway
- Veronika Kalmus, University of Tartu, Institute of Social Studies, Estonia
- Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Department of Media and Communications, United Kingdom
- Oana Benga, Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Psychology, Romania
- Moisés Esteban-Guitart, University of Girona, Institute of Educational Research, Spain
- Raquel Miño-Puigcercós, University of Barcelona, Department of Didactics and Educational Organization, Spain
Project Team (Romania)
- Prof. Dr. Oana Benga
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oana Negru-Subțirică
- Lecturer Dr. Georgiana Erdogan
- Assistant Dr. Ionuț-Sergiu Mone
- PhD Candidate Flavia Medrea
- PhD Candidate Iulia Bunea
Project Phase 1 (October-December 2022)
This phase was focused on searching and identifying relevant literature in the field, in order to
conduct a scoping review on digital platforms and family life.
Project Phase 2 (January-December 2023)
This phase included the completion of the scoping review. The resulting manuscript on
‘platformised relationality’ was submitted for publication. Second, during this stage the empirical
study began. The methodology for collecting the qualitative data (instrument development,
sampling, participant recruitment) was developed and refined at the consortium level, based on
suggestions from members of each national team and collaborating partners. After obtaining
ethical approval, the instruments were piloted and the collection of empirical data was initiated.
Third, at the consortium level, a preliminary strategy for secondary analysis of EU Kids Online
data was explored.
Project Phase 3 (January-December 2024)
This final phase of the project was mainly focused on completing the collection of the qualitative
data. In the first round, a total of 66 interviews were collected (22 families, 3 generations:
children, parents and grandparents), using an interview guide developed at the consortium
level. This guide covered the following major themes: 1) Digital navigation (how individuals
integrate platforms into family life); 2) Negotiation (how platforms are embedded in the family);
3) Relationality (the role of platforms for family relationships) and 4) Future-making (whether
and how platforms contribute to the imagined family futures). In the second round, at the end of
2024, an in-depth group interview (involving all three generations) was conducted for 2 families
from the previous sample, using an interview guide also developed at the consortium level.
Additionally, the team developed a strategy for combining EU Kids Online and PlatFAMs data
and findings on a broader level of analysis and theorising.
Dissemination of the results:
Papers:
Erstad, O., Hegna, K., Livingstone, S., Negru-Subtirica, O., & Stoilova, M. (2024). How digital
technologies become embedded in family life across generations: scoping the agenda for
researching ‘platformised relationality’. Families, Relationships and Societies, 13(2), 164-180.
Conferences, with participation of the Romanian team:
Stoilova, M. on behalf of Erstad, O, Livingstone, S., Hegna, K., Stoilova, M., Negru-Subtirica, O.
(September, 2024, ECREA, Ljubljana). How digital technologies become embedded in family
life across generations.
Hegna, K. on behalf of PlatFAMs Team (18-19 September, 2024, Bucharest). Project
presentation PLATFAMS in the CHANSE Mid-Term Conference Building Networks.