Disenchantment of the Family

Abstract

This study asks how parenthood has changed in the context of mediatisation. To investigate the question, the 100 most frequently viewed German-language family blogs were systematically analysed. Methods of qualitative text analysis were applied. The analysis reveals that family blogs meet the parents’ need for exchange and community and, at the same time, fulfil a similar function to parenting self-help books and diaries. Family blogs therefore also include an essential element of identity development. The study shows that family blogs not only create a public, they also lead to a disenchantment and politicisation of family and parenthood. Product tests and reviews that serve as a source of financial income for the bloggers play an important role in these blogs. The economisation of parenthood through advertising points to a shift in the boundary between the economic world outside the home and non-economic family life, contributing to a disenchantment of the family.