Technology helps family ties stay strong

Though many complain that smart phones and other gadgets are eating into family time, the tech-savvy Malayalis have a different story to tell.

Recently, a bride-seeing ceremony from Kanjirappally was streamed live so that the groom’s sister and her husband who were in the US could be part of it, virtually. Technology isn’t pushing them apart, but is actually making the ties stronger like never before, they say. Be it the updates on relationship developments, family reunions, achievements or ailments, not just the youngsters, but older adults too are making use of technology to stay close to their kith and kin.

Family chat groups
Staying in touch with the near and dear ones have never been easier thanks to the new connecting platforms, say many. Tessy James, a teacher from Kottayam, says, “Most of my relatives live in different parts of the world and if not for technology, we would have lost contact with them in no time. Now, we make use of WhatsApp groups to communicate often. Also Skype and

FaceTime

help our relatives from other continents join us during kudumbayogams (family meeting) as well.”
Anirudh Nair, a banker from Trivandrum, agrees with Tessy and adds that technology has also brought in stronger emotional connections among family members. “My dad says that in the past, he used to meet his cousins only during weddings or funerals. And they were very formal meet-ups. But now we share even the most trivial updates on our common groups and manage to have warmer conversations with all, as everyone knows each other better.”

Tracking down relatives
Many members of the older generation are using their children’s expertise to track down lost contacts via brand new tech platforms. For them, it’s also a new and interesting way of interaction. Alex Joseph, a retired banker from Kottayam, says, “After ages, I could meet a very distant relative of mine — I was best friends with during childhood — through Facebook. It motivated me to try out more social media platforms and I also found a few of my schoolmates.”
Chris Thomson, a US-based techie, was in search of a method to map his family tree. “My grandfather used to draw our family tree to show us how all of us are related. To track down my cousins, I checked for some apps and found a few, like Family Tree, Imlee.com and Ancestry.com. In these apps, you can add your family and relatives, who can further add their close relatives. Such network platforms also make it easy to inform everyone about marriages, deaths or other important updates.”

‘Cool’ ways to connect
For the older generation, using technology to keep in touch with relatives also means another cool benefit — learning new tech skills from youngsters. Anitha Prabhu, a teacher from Kollam says, “When my son said I can do away with my huge phone bills and also stay close to my extended family through some of these new platforms, I decided to try them out. In addition to staying in touch, they also make me feel a lot cooler and confident!”
For those who have lived most parts of their lives without mobiles or computers, these new-gen technologies might seem intimidating at first. But it’s no herculean task, says Beena Roy, a teacher. “We are never too old to learn anything. Technology is here to stay and we should rather make use of it to simplify life. I now feel that my relatives are close to me,” she says.

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