The material-semiotics of fatherhood:the co-emergence of technology and contemporary fatherhood

Abstract

Using actor–network theory (ANT), this paper examines the role of caring technologies in the complex transition to new fatherhood, exploring the ambivalent role these objects play in the family setting to co-enable different forms of fathering and masculinity. The paper explores the processes through which these objects, together with emerging fatherhood, enact a material-semiotic struggle over identity, processes, and action. In doing so, the paper derives insights of potential value to marketers, technological innovators, and policy makers alike