‘A Whole New World’: Mothers' Technologically Mediated Leisure

Abstract

This study explored the roles of an online social networking site called Momstown.ca as a form of technologically mediated leisure in mothers' experiences of online connections. Active interviews with 22 members of Momstown.ca revealed that mothers encounter limiting ideologies of motherhood reinforced through the separation of the public and private spheres. This separation constructs mothers' experiences as less visible, less socially relevant, and confined within private spaces. Through mothers' technologically mediated leisure, the public and private spheres were blurred and ideologies of motherhood were both reinforced and resisted. Mothers demonstrated distinct social dynamics through their mediated leisure suggesting the cyberfeminist potential for transformations in public discourse and private practice that may uniquely contribute to alleviating the contemporary challenges of mothers' increased social isolation and an anxiety-inducing culture.

Keywords:

• ideologies
• mediated leisure
• motherhood
• public/private
• technology

Notes

The percentage of North American mothers is an average between the percentages of American mothers (81%) and Canadian mothers (68%). Since the 2011 Canadian census does not present a percentage of mothers, this number was calculated from the number of total mothers, 9.8 million (Statistics Canada, 2014), compared to the number of females of child-bearing age, beginning with the Census age category of 15–24 years (Statistics Canada, 2011).

When research interviews were conducted in the spring of 2011, there were 18 Momstown chapters across Canada. The number of chapters has since grown to 24 locations. In 2011, a one-year membership cost $45 (Canadian dollars). Currently, the annual fee is $85 for what is now called a “program pass” to reflect Momstown's increased focus on early childhood development programs.