Being a couple in a media world: The mediatization of everyday communication in couple relationships

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the mediatization on the level of social relationships, and to figure out which impact media has on the everyday life of couples. A theoretical framework is gathered which is based on the concept of mediatization as background and is applying theoretical approaches on everyday life and close relationships. The empirical study was carried out with 10 couples in order to gain a contextualized description of partners' everyday life communication. The results picture media communication as an integrative part of couples' communicative repertoires and the mediatization of partners' sharing everyday life conduct. Furthermore, the findings show processes of intensification of partners' mental representations related to communicative practices established via digital media.