The Effect of Online Social Networks on Family Relationships with an Emphasis on Family Leisure Activities

Society's advancements, including the recent emergence of online social networks, have led to shifts in how people engage in leisure activities. This article seeks to provide an image of the ways in which common leisure activities are performed within the family and analyze the impact of virtual social networks on these practices. The research method utilized was a survey, and the statistical population comprised individuals over 15 years of age residing in Tehran. The sample size was determined through Cochran's formula and amounted to 600 participants. The sampling method employed was a multi-stage cluster sampling technique, and participants were randomly selected through the appropriate sampling method. The study's results revealed that the family remains the primary focus for engaging in joint leisure activities. The role of relatives was found to be negligible, while the position of friends was elevated. The duration of time spent on virtual social networks, as well as the amount of usage, was found to diminish the frequency of family trips and recreational activities, whereas maintaining a real identity and actively participating in these networks strengthens joint leisure pursuits among family members. The findings suggested that virtual social networks have a two-fold impact on joint leisure activities. The observed changes indicated a fracture in kinship bonds within society, accompanied by novel developments in interpersonal relationships, where non-selective social connections are transitioning towards selective ties based on shared interests rather than blood relations.
Introduction
Recent societal developments, marked by the emergence of virtual social networks, have significantly altered the way people spend their leisure time. With these networks proliferating in society and increasingly occupying a substantial portion of individuals' free time, it raises the question of their impact on collective family leisure. Do these activities foster greater separation among family members or, on the contrary, do they have no significant impact on familial bonds?
Although most research in this area focuses exclusively on the time devoted to virtual social networks, neglecting the type of interaction and quality of presence of individuals, this research aims to delve deeper into the impact of the quality of presence and mode of interaction with virtual social networks on family leisure. This study seeks to ascertain whether the quality of presence and type of engagement can positively or negatively influence joint family leisure activities.
Methodology
The research method utilized in this study is a survey, and the statistical population comprises individuals aged 15 years and above residing in Tehran. The sample size, determined through Cochran's formula, amounts to 600 participants. The sampling technique deployed is a multi-stage cluster sampling method, and participants were carefully selected using the appropriate random sampling approach.
findings
The research findings indicated that, despite changes brought about by virtual social networks, the family continues to prioritize joint leisure activities. The role of relatives appears to be inconsequential, whereas that of friends gains prominence. The duration of time spent on virtual social networks, as well as the frequency of usage, has a detrimental influence on engaging in travel and religious trips with family members. However, actively participating in such networks while maintaining a genuine identity can strengthen joint leisure activities with family members. The findings further support the notion that virtual social networks exhibit a dual effect on family leisure activities.
Conclusion
In summary, the findings of this study regarding the impact of virtual networks on collective leisure activities among Iranian families reveal the emergence of two distinct leisure patterns, influenced by virtual networks:
The first pattern, in particular, pertains to collective activities grounded in long-term companionship, such as group leisure pursuits, including travel and sightseeing outings, as well as religious pilgrimages. These endeavors typically require spending an extended period (often spanning one to several days) in the company of family members.
This collective leisure pattern aligns with the long-established image of family leisure in Iranian culture, as it resonates with traditional customs and practices dating back to antiquity. The evidence of this pattern can be vividly observed in old family albums and photo archives. As a collective leisure model, it also possesses certain characteristics, with the most notable feature being a dominant collectivist nature. In such activities, individual choices and distinctions among family members are secondary in comparison.
In essence, this form of collective leisure activities involves a collective decision-making process by the family, as a unified unit, to determine how members should allocate their free time over an extended period. Each member, in turn, makes accommodations or requests to ensure the achievement of shared leisure objectives. This leisure model requires family members to adapt to collective routines and norms, which may involve adjustments to personal habits and daily routines (such as having their own bedroom, making independent decisions concerning personal matters, adhering to desired health behaviors, and eating habits, among others). Furthermore, individuals are expected to temporarily deviate from their preferred personal order in order to embrace a collective order during the shared leisure period.
This collective leisure model necessitates that family members embrace a spirit of cooperation and compromise, sometimes tolerating differences (even potentially contradictory ones) with their individual comfort and tranquility, all in the pursuit of achieving collective pleasure and strengthening bonding within the family unit. The findings of this study indicate that patterns of interaction on virtual social networks can negatively impact collective leisure pursuits based on long-term companionship. Individuals who devote more time to these networks and use them frequently exhibit a diminished inclination towards such communal leisure activities.
Furthermore, the study suggests that excessive involvement in virtual social networks could dilute the time, energy, and motivation required for participating in collective leisure activities.
In this collective leisure model, while individuals aspire to spend their free time with family members, they seek to regulate this desire according to their individual preferences and arrangements. This model of collective activity, as it is centered on short-term and transient engagements, is largely individually-driven and emerges from the synchronous alignment of common individual choices among family members. This collective leisure model differs from the previous one in that individuals do not feel compelled to disrupt their preferred habits and practices. In simpler terms, this form of collective activity, despite being collective, is largely founded on individualistic attitudes and utilizes collective action to materialize individual choices and preferences.
The influence of virtual social networks has not diminished the desire for collective leisure activities in Iranian families; however, it has altered their form or pattern of interaction with these networks. Virtual social networks have steered families toward a particular pattern of collective leisure activities, which may be referred to as "individualistic collective activities" in a seemingly paradoxical combination. This model exhibits a paradoxical combination wherein the desire to spend free time with family members is evident, while simultaneously, this desire is expressed in new and different formats in light of individualistic values, diverging from traditional models. These changes indicate that familial bonds in society are experiencing a transformation or weakening.