Worlds Apart: Mediated Communication from Across the Globe

Abstract

Now, more than ever, individuals are interacting with members of different cultures (Hiew, Halford, van de Vijver, & Liu, 2016). This is due to immigration, globalization, and, in no small part, advances in technology (Günay, 2016; Lee, Balkin, & Fernandez, 2017). Consequently, there has been a growing number of intercultural couples in the United States (Hiew et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2017; Linhof & Allan, 2019). For example, in the year 2017, almost 20% of newlyweds were married to someone of a different ethnicity (Livingston & Brown, 2017).

Although all relationships experience trials and tribulations from time to time, intercultural couples face many unique challenges (Frame, 2004; Linhof & Allan, 2019; Perel, 2001; Stritof, 2020), including differing cultural norms regarding communication (Hiew et al., 2016), expressions of intimacy (Linhof & Allan, 2019; Osgarby & Halford, 2013), extended family (Machette, 2019), gender roles (Romano, 2008), religion (Frame, 2004), child-rearing (Bhugun, 2017), as well as differing expectations of what a marriage ought to be (Perel, 2001). Furthermore, many intercultural couples are interracial, which have the additional challenge of discrimination and negative stereotypes from others (Linhof & Allan, 2019; Stritof, 2020). In short, intercultural relationships require the understanding of conflicting expectations of the two cultures.

Another unique aspect of intercultural couples in the United States is that one member must immigrate to the country. The amount of time required to immigrate to the United States, legally, has continued to grow in the past number of years (Bier, 2019). For example, the average processing time ranges from 4 to 21 months (USCIS, 2020). Thus, intercultural couples are typically required to spend extended periods apart, while completing the immigration process, requiring their relationship to take on a different form: a long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR).

This chapter will examine how technology is used in long-distance romantic relationships. First, the existing literature on long-distance romantic relationships will be reviewed. Next, past findings on how those in long-distance romantic relationships use technology for communicative purposes will be explored. Then, a case study that demonstrates how a young, intercultural couple used computer-mediated communication during their time in a long-distance romantic relationship will be presented. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion about the couple’s experiences using technology as a medium for their relationship maintenance behaviors.