Search
Program Calendar
Browse By Day
Browse By Time
Browse By Person
Browse By Room
Browse By Division
Browse By Session Type
Search Tips
Personal Schedule
Sign In
Audience research on family television viewing flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. These studies highlighted watching television together as a valuable family routine, structuring the rhythm of daily life and familial sociality. Still, ever since, we have witnessed changes in both family structures and the ways television is consumed within the household. This begs the question whether earlier findings considering family closeness still hold up.
Drawing upon insights from literature on family rituals and media generations, this survey study indicates that despite a robust prevalence of family viewing, alternative social patterns emerge, which coincide with the appropriation of screen technologies beyond the living room television. Further analyses reveals that deviations from family viewing are associated with lower cohesion between generations. However, younger generations watching together do report higher levels of cohesion with their generational counterparts.