Abstract

Contemporary extended families are living in an unprecedented age of connecting technology. Previ-ous studies on family connecting technology (FCT) indicated the presence of someone who could be considered as a “kinkeeper” who keeps family members informed about one another. However, there has been limited research in HCI to date on who kinkeepers are and how this role is technologically enacted in a family digital environment. In this paper, we present a study on digital kinkeeping by the kinkeepers through WhatsApp as a representative example of contemporary FCTs in mediating famili-al bonding. A two-phase study was undertaken. The first phase involved the log study of a period of 350 days of family group chat, while the second phase involved individual interviews to ascertain initial themes derived from previous phase. The findings provide evidence that kinkeeper may be one or more female members in a family virtual group. They were recognized through their constant and frequent appearance throughout interaction. They employed predominantly several strategies in initi-ating the first contact at the beginning of the day, and four common modes of digital kinkeeping. Then, the discussion outlines possible explanations for this evidence and poses avenues for future research in HCI for Information System.

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