Domestic Rituals Go Digital: Holiday Video Chatters Find New Uses for Skype

By Rob Scott
December 28, 2011

Skype is now eight years old and continues to grow. The New York Times reports: “300 million minutes of Skype video calls are made a day worldwide, up about 900 percent from 2007, according to data provided by Skype.”
The article highlights how people are increasingly using the service in interesting ways, especially during the holidays, focusing on one family that celebrates “Skypanukkah,” during which members of the family light Hannukah candles while on the video chatting service.
According to the article, “the software — and others like it, including Apple’s FaceTime and Google chat — has become a regular fixture in a growing number of American homes, providing new ways for families to stay connected in an age where generations are less likely to gather around the table on Sunday afternoons to share a meal.”
Additional uses for Skype include grandparents meeting new grandchildren, relatives and friends participating in a baby shower, and children performing routines for their relatives who may not have had the means to take a plane to a recital or school performance. The article notes: “…far-flung families are opening birthday gifts together, reading bedtime stories and even providing brief moments of child care.”
The full article can be accessed here.

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