Digital Family – Connecting Love in the Age of Technology

In the age of technology, the big challenge is not only to keep up with the trend but also to make technology a bridge of love instead of an invisible wall separating generations. How can each family, especially in localities like Son La, both integrate digitally and preserve traditional values? Families need to proactively build a "digital culture of love", where technology serves to connect, educate , and preserve identity. At that time, technology will be the driving force for a Son La that is developed, modern, and still imbued with humanity.

In modern family life, technology is like a double-edged sword: if used properly, it can become an effective tool for connecting love, sharing, learning and development; but if abused or misdirected, technology can easily become an invisible barrier, causing members to distance themselves, reducing real-life interactions and eroding traditional values that are the foundation of the family. No one can deny that technology is bringing huge changes to modern family life. From managing expenses via phone applications, video calling to connect with relatives far away from home, online learning for children, to family groups on Zalo, Facebook...; technology helps to erase spatial distances, save time and expand access to information. However, the dark side of technology is also clearly present. Many parents are engrossed in their phones and forget to spend time talking to their children. Children are drawn into the virtual world , passive, reduced physical activity, and declining social communication skills. Family meals - once a sacred symbol of reunion - can now be overwhelmed by bright screens. In Son La, these changes are also taking place, not loudly but strong enough to change the rhythm of family life in the highlands. In many ethnic minority families, children know how to use social networks before they are fluent in their mother tongue. Adults are drawn into "keyboard battles", fake news, or are fascinated by livestream sales, digital superstitions... The question is: Will we choose technology as a tool to serve love, or let it become something that cracks sacred relationships in the family.

Digital family is not simply the use of technological devices, but the core lies in the transformation in loving thinking - where every action, every connection is guided by understanding, sharing and preserving family values in a digital environment. The concept of "digital family" should not stop at a family with many electronic devices, knowing how to use social networks, or applying technology to life. More deeply, it is a family that knows how to apply technology to maintain, nurture and spread love, in a blend of modernity and tradition. In an ideal digital family, technology helps connect distant members, helps children study better, parents access modern parenting knowledge, helps grandparents update news and not "fall behind" the world. But more importantly, technology must be used in a controlled, selective manner, and placed on the foundation of sharing and empathy. A smart family is not the one with the most modern devices, but a place where members know how to spend quality time with each other, know how to express their love directly, not just through text messages, know how to put down the phone to listen, experience and learn together. To do that, the role of parents is extremely important. They need to become “responsible digital citizens”, guide their children on how to use technology safely and humanely; at the same time become an example in balancing the digital world and real life.

In Son La, the digital transformation journey does not stop at modernizing life, but is also a process of connecting love in each family, preserving traditional cultural values and gradually building a sustainable, unique digital future. As a mountainous border province, Son La has many opportunities and challenges in the national digital transformation process. According to the report of the Provincial People's Committee, Son La is currently actively implementing programs such as "digital transformation in agriculture", "digital countryside", "e-government"... However, for successful and sustainable digital transformation, the role of each family is indispensable - the first unit to receive and spread the values of the digital society. In Son La families today, love needs to be redefined to suit the new context: not only taking care of each other materially but also accompanying each other in learning, orienting the use of technology, preserving traditional culture in the digital age. Son La has over 80% of its population being ethnic minorities. This is not only a challenge in terms of language and awareness but also an opportunity to preserve cultural identity in the integration process. In the context of social networks strongly influencing the thinking of young people, encouraging ethnic families to pass on their language, writing, and customs through digital forms such as short videos, podcasts in ethnic languages, indigenous fairy tales, etc. will be both a traditional method and a creative application of technology. The movement "Building a family of 5 no, 3 clean" associated with building new rural areas, protecting the environment, preventing social evils, etc. also needs to be "digitalized", becoming content that spreads strongly on social networking platforms, aiming at the image of a green - clean - modern - affectionate Son La family.

Loving connections not only come from the feelings between individuals, but also are the bonds that bind the community together. It is a shared responsibility, requiring everyone to join hands to build a humane and sustainable society. To build a real and sustainable digital family, the participation of the entire political and social system is needed, in which the Women's Union, Youth Union, schools, local authorities... play an important role. Programs such as "Parents learning with their children in the digital age", "Digital skills for children in mountainous areas", "Family without social networks for 1 day"... should be organized widely, creatively and flexibly according to regions.

In addition, local press and media need to play a leading role in raising awareness, providing official information, spreading positive stories about digital families, and highlighting typical cultural family models at the grassroots level.

It is impossible not to mention the responsibility of each individual in the family. Only when each member clearly understands the value of real connection and knows how to use technology at the right time and in the right way, will technology truly become a "bridge of love" instead of a "digital gap".

The family is the cell of society, and in the digital age, the digital family becomes an important nucleus to form a humane digital society. When technology is harmoniously applied in family life, the values of love, connection and responsibility are spread more strongly. The family has always been the sustainable root of culture, the starting point for forming personality and morality, and also the final refuge of each person before the storms of life. No matter how society changes, no matter how much technology develops, that core value remains unchanged. However, in the context of comprehensive digital transformation today, where all social interactions are gradually moving to cyberspace, the family cannot stand aside. The question is not "Does the family need to be digitalized?" but: "How will the family be digitalized to maintain its nature as the cradle of love and the foundation for sustainable social development". Because, without the right guidance, digital transformation in the family can accidentally turn into a cold digital life - where each person is a personal device, a separate account, coexisting under one roof but no longer emotionally connected. On the contrary, when guided by love and understanding, technology can become a generational bridge, a tool for parents to educate their children intelligently.

In the journey to create a sustainable future for Son La, a land imbued with identity and rich in potential, digital family is the fundamental fulcrum. When each family becomes a living cell of the digital society, connecting love, applying smart technology, developing household economy associated with preserving national culture and humane living environment, then a solid foundation for comprehensive development is formed. Each digital family is not only a smart consumer unit, but also a "living museum" preserving the national soul, a center of creativity and spreading values. Each kind home nurtured with love and technology will be a solid brick contributing to building a modern, rich and beautiful Son La that is still imbued with the sacred soul of the Northwest mountains and forests./.

Nguyen Thi Van - Son La Provincial Political School

Source: https://sonla.dcs.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/noi-dung/gia-dinh-so-ket-noi-yeu-thuong-trong-ky-nguyen-cong-nghe-5545.html