Adoption &Fostering, Ahead of Print.
Drawing on grounded theory research with parents who brought children into their lives in non-traditional ways, this article considers how three UK-based single adoptive parents navigate a complex set of risks, benefits and limitations as they construct mutually beneficial connections, friendships and support networks online. The discussion draws on media scholarship suggesting that, in response to contemporary norms of constant connection, digital availability and online context ‘collapse’, many internet users appropriate the affordances of online platforms and technologies to maintain personal boundaries and keep social groups apart. I argue that such tight context control can be particularly important for single adoptive parents, whose children are often vulnerable in multiple ways, who continue to face social stigma and misunderstanding, and for whom privacy can be vital to their families’ safety and wellbeing. The article pays particular attention to single adopters’ strategic deployment of three interconnected practices for managing and curating their networks and information sharing: compartmentalisation, selective sharing and disengagement. As well as pointing to similarities between participants’ practices, the article considers how the nuances of their individual circumstances shape and influence their ways of both connecting with, and disconnecting from, a range of individuals, groups and networks.Plain Language SummaryThis article presents results from a UK study looking at ways in which single, LGBTQ+ and adoptive parents use digital media in their everyday lives. It uses three case studies to explore the experiences of single adoptive mothers specifically, as a group who make up a significant proportion of adoptive parents in the UK, and whose families may be vulnerable in more ways than one. The case studies show how single adopters can use digital media to nurture targeted connections that are intimate and supportive, in part through disconnecting from those that are counter-productive or unhelpful. The article concludes with some key recommendations for practitioners who work with adoptive parents, particularly those with additional vulnerabilities such as single adopters, or adopters of disabled children. I suggest, on one hand, that practitioners can facilitate personalised, targeted support by signposting carers to appropriate digital sources, or supporting the creation of social media networks, for example via Facebook groups. On the other hand, the case studies highlight some disadvantages and difficulties associated with community-driven support through social media platforms. I therefore suggest that some caution is needed around the recommendations that are made, depending on individual families’ needs and circumstances.