Beware! A Narrow Lens on Family Values Creates the Illusion of Consensus

Terry Gachie, an educational practitioner passionate about health literacy and driving narrative change around SRHR issues in Kenya. She is collaborating with a unique digital research team supported by Komons, the Kenyan Comms Hub, and Puentes. This piece shows how a Facebook-only lens on family values can create an illusion of consensus, contrasting Facebook and X, and argues for multi-platform, real-world analysis to guide inclusive, evidence-based interventions. 

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Have you ever been told “rudi Facebook” (loosely translated to mean “go back to Facebook”)?

The phrase “rudi Facebook” is more than a harmless cheeky jab—it’s a reflection of the evolving cultural and generational divide between social media users. When someone tells you to go back to Facebook, they’re often implying that your perspective, ideas, or communication style is out of touch with what’s considered cool, current, or a platform native. In many cases, it can come off as dismissive, stereotyping Facebook users as too old, less digitally savvy, backwards, or simply not in sync with emerging trends.

So what’s going on? Two main things: a clash in platform and generational culture, as well as assumptions that inform variations in content topics, styles, and social habits. These factors further determine the type of actors, formats, tone, and depth of the discussion. Most importantly, these factors often link to the extent to which unfiltered, in-depth, and progressive conversations can go. This pattern was notably recorded in the Velma study, where perceptions toward family and family values on Facebook and X varied; they were largely positive on Facebook and negative on X.

This was unexpected, but not surprising.

But, here’s the problem:

Relying solely on Facebook insights to conclude family and family values is like trying to understand a symphony by listening to just one instrument. Without examining the deeper context and comparing data from platforms like X and real-world experiences, we risk painting a distorted picture—one that clashes with the lived realities and diverse narratives unfolding elsewhere.

The various scripts that form any narrative need to be examined before any conclusions are drawn. Family structures, roles, and values are deeply contextual, shaped by culture, generation, and geography.

This finding was integrated into our study, which examined how family values—shaped by heteropatriarchy, right-wing geopolitics, and conservative religious and cultural norms—influence discourses on LGBTQ+ identities, gender roles, sexuality education, and reproductive health.

The study showed that the same conversation can offer different insights across platforms. Ignoring this complexity can lead to misguided interpretations of narrative shifts and, worse, interventions that miss the mark entirely

In our analysis of narratives around family values on Facebook, we found that perceptions were largely positive on this platform and negative on X. To present an analysis solely based on our Facebook findings would risk presenting a skewed narrative of family and family values—one that fails to reflect the various shapers of dominant narratives in different contexts. Analysis of Facebook discourse reveals a dominant portrayal of the traditional nuclear family, occasionally expanded, but with conditions, to include single parents. However, there was a noticeable rarity of conversations around non-traditional family structures, such as those with LGBTQ+ parents, co-parenting families, and blended families.  

This limited representation reinforces a widely accepted but narrow definition of family, shaped by platform culture, algorithms, subconscious biases and cultural norms. Additionally, it supports a narrative that doesn’t push boundaries or aim for inclusivity, but instead perpetuates a familiar or largely accepted script—one that can misinform interventions aimed at narrative change and social inclusion.

Media platforms like Facebook, which largely attract a conservative audience, often reinforce mainstream societal expectations rather than challenge them. Additionally, social media algorithms play a significant role as they prioritize certain content based on user behavior and engagement patterns. These factors may explain why Facebook served conservative family content that aligns with traditional and widely accepted structures during the research project. These factors powerfully popularize conservative ideologies around family and their acceptance.

Navigating this as narrative change and communication experts:

• Understand the predominant script and narrative that guides discourse in various platforms and spaces, as well as what sustains these narratives.
• Understand that the specific platform design, demographics, and content formats and features play in determining the type and depth of conversations.
• Engage influential figures within the platform who wield significant influence over the public and are considered the voice of reason in shaping family values and dynamics through their lifestyles, messages, and public discourse. These influencers may include  religious figures, celebrities, “People like us”
• Evidence-based application of insights from one platform/context to other individuals, settings, or situations beyond the specific study sample.
• To truly understand evolving family dynamics, we must look beyond one context and engage with diverse platforms and real-world contexts. Otherwise, we risk designing solutions based on incomplete stories.

I’ve always wanted to spark a conversation around Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s powerful analogy on the danger of a single story—and today, I finally did. In a world overflowing with a myriad of platforms and spaces of engagement, considering various perspectives isn’t just bold, it’s necessary. Because when we only hear one version of a story, we risk overlooking and erasing its richness, complexity, and truth of countless others.