Mother’s Day images are often rife with spring bouquets, cards, hugs, and more bouquets – which is lovely. Who doesn’t love flowers? But often missing from the gamut of Mother’s Day stock photos and footage is a vital lifeline that mothers rely on for community, support, and guidance – the internet and social media.
Technology is a large part of our lives and is often represented in the media surrounding us. There are plenty of stock photos of teenagers texting their brains out or business folk checking emails on their tablets. These representations of technology interactions are generally accepted as normative in advertising. In addition to kids and the workforce, new mothers use the internet and social media a lot. Regardless, moms are often ignored in our media and are even criticized for their participation in online activity. Here’s why we should be including more visuals of women and tech on Mother’s Day.
Mothers on phones, tablets, and laptops have undergone some scrutiny for a few reasons. One is the expectation that mothers should be paying attention to their children’s macaroni art projects, not “playing on their phones”.
Technology, however, is an integral part of who we are and how we interact with one another in the modern world. To expect mothers to manage the household without partaking in the conveniences the rest of us do is unfair and unrealistic.
Besides, new moms in the U.S. spend approximately 4 hours per day on the internet and an average of 17.4 hours per week with their social networks, primarily seeking out parenting advice.
About 18 million mothers in the US are millennials, many of which live in urbanized areas where social gatherings can be difficult to organize. With geographic and social isolation added to the identity transformation that often comes with new motherhood, social media has become a critical network for camaraderie and adult conversation. That smartphone blue light can be like a beacon of hope for women dealing with perinatal anxieties and postpartum depression. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but if that village isn’t available, you have to create your own digital village.
Mothers sharing moments with children or snapping pics of their kids is going to be a part of Mother’s Day for most women. Don’t shy away from including this kind of stock media in Mother’s Day campaigns. It’s a real representation of what a day with mom is going to look like. She is going to want to share how spoiled she was with her digital village. One of the greatest gifts we can give to moms on Mother’s Day is to legitimize their participation in digital communities by showing more moms and technology in our imagery.
Happy Mother’s Day!
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