Maja Sonne Damkjaer

Dept. of Aesthetics and Communication, Aarhus University, Denmark

September 2013-December 2013. Hosted by Prof Fred Turner, Dept of Communication

Digital media play a crucial role in contemporary family culture. My research explores how and with what consequences digital media are intertwined with the first formative phase of parenthood, a topic rarely studied. My aim is to contribute to a nuanced understanding of this increasingly mediatized life-transition, and thereby help point toward opportunities for future parent support strategies and technologies. While at H-STAR, I am working on a qualitative analysis of media usage among first-year parents based on interviews, observations, and Facebook data. My analysis focuses on parents’ appropriation of online media as a resource for developing parental skills, networks, and identity.