Attitudes to safety and online mediation in a family context

Abstract

The use of online communications helps us to emphasize time and address geographical variation, enabling the court to handle jurisdictional problems more quickly. However, as various authors have noted, the fear of being watched “on camera” is a significant impediment to using technology in conflict resolution. This is a prevalent problem in feeling secure in cyberspace. It is critical to consider how online communications might be used to arbitrate differences, hence improving Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) systems. Online mediation is part of the modern-day developments that have prompted the creation of new instruments of communication and, consequently, innovations in forms of engagement and dispute resolution approaches. This study aimed to ascertain if individuals may voice their opinions and concerns about online family conflict resolution in a secure environment. As a result, the author sought to confirm the participants' perspectives on mediation's knowledge and application and its repercussions via their actions and experiences. For that, a questionnaire was applied for the field study to ensure that the research was relevant to the study's objectives, including describing online mediation, assessing the popularity of online mediation in Ireland, and determining if participants feel comfortable in a mediation setting family conflict resolution. The results suggest that despite online family mediation is quite popular in Ireland, only 7.4% of participants have attended a mediation session. However, most people have heard about iii online family mediation and are willing to resolve their disputes through it. Furthermore, the findings show that family members prefer mediation to court-based resolution because it is flexible.