Socio-technical Opportunities in Long-Distance Communication Between the Siblings with a Large Age Difference

Siblings play a crucial and long-lasting role in family connections and relationships. However, with the older sibling transitioning out of their parental home, maintaining a close sibling relationship can be challenging, especially if siblings have a large age difference. We conducted a diary and interview study with nine families in China which have spaced siblings, to identify design opportunities for technology to better support their communication and connection needs. We contribute to the HCI community in three aspects. First, we contribute an empirical understanding of current communication patterns from distributed families with large age gap siblings in China. Second, we identify current facilitation roles, practices, and challenges regarding sibling relationships from different stakeholders' perspectives. Last but not least, we present technological opportunities for supporting the large-gap sibling relationship, informing directions for future research and design for distributed families.

When brothers and sisters have a big age gap and live apart, staying close can be hard -- the older sibling may be away at college while the younger one is still a child. Through diaries and interviews with nine Chinese families, this award-winning study uncovers how these siblings currently keep in touch and offers concrete ideas for technology that could strengthen their bond across distance and developmental stages.