The humble hard drive has revolutionised communication for millions of Filipino families  Image: Ralf Roletschek

These days, you can live on the other side of the world from someone and still know what they’re doing, how they’re feeling and even what they’re eating.

New media such as Skype and smartphones are bringing us closer than ever to faraway friends. But how do families communicate – and care for one another – when they’re living thousands of miles apart?

Dr Mirca Madianou (below) has devoted nearly a decade to answering that question.

Focusing on the large-scale migration in the Philippines, she has followed the fortunes of dozens of UK-based migrant mothers and their left-behind children, forming a fascinating study of how new media shape long-distance relationships.

In the podcast below, Dr Madianou – co-author of the book ‘Migration and New Media’ and Reader of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths – looks at the past and present of migration and communication, and talks about the consequences of technology for transnational families.

For details of Dr Madianou’s book Migration and New Media, see  https://www.routledge.com/products/9780415679299 .

Visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/media-communications/staff/madianou for more on her research.

With thanks to Samantha Portillo and Samuel Cabbuag

Teenage clicks: the Philippines is the texting capital of the world