“I'm G-Mom on the Phone”

Abstract

We explore how a diverse group of grandparents, mostly grandmothers, use the cell phone to interact with their grandchildren. Through “remote” grandparenting seniors found ways into relationships with their grandchildren like many of them had experienced as grandchildren and simultaneously provided insightful commentary on changing communication relations.

Keywords:

• ageing
• grandmothering
• mobile technologies
• cell phone
• communication

Notes

1. In reviewing our transcripts, none of the male participants made reference to communicating with their grandchildren via digital devices. When men did speak about the devices in relation to family it was almost exclusively around communication with their spouse or with one of their children.

2. Canada had some of the most expensive voice and data rates and some of the cheapest text plans among the eleven countries surveyed. Countries surveyed included: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, United States, and the United Kingdom. [Online] Available at: http://www.digitalhome.ca/2010/10/report-finds-canadians-pay-more-for-wireless-phone-service/

3. Other than in the province of Manitoba where the telephone system retained its identity as a public utility for much longer than elsewhere in Canada. Many of the seniors we interviewed in Manitoba had owned their own cell phone for years, which was quite exceptional.