Media Technologies as Social Institutions Shaping Family Communication Patterns in the Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines media technologies as tools and social institutions shaping family communication patterns among residents in the Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria. Grounded in Technological Determinism and Family Communication Patterns Theory (FCPT), the research maps digital tool access, evaluates its impact on interaction quality, and weighs domestic advantages against the drawbacks. Using a descriptive survey design data were gathered via structured questionnaires from 208 residents across three local government areas: Oke-Oyi (Ilorin East), Gaa Akanbi (Ilorin South), and Oloje (Ilorin West). Mean and standard deviation analyses show that while smartphones and WhatsApp significantly increase communication orientation by bridging geographic distances, they introduce a stark relational trade-off. Increased digital connectivity concurrently erodes traditional conformity patterns, reduces face-to-face interaction, and heightens device dependency and privacy anxieties. The study concludes that digital tools spark generational friction by displacing physical presence. Consequently, it recommends that families establish device-free domestic routines during mealtimes, telecommunication providers stabilise digital infrastructure, and community institutions deploy media literacy programmes to preserve direct interpersonal interaction.