I was born in England in 1967. Two years later my family moved to the USA. Since then, many of my relatives have scattered across the globe.

When a cousin visits me in the USA – which happens maybe once every five years – we seek some common ground, and invariably it turns out to be music or some other form of entertainment. We start talking about the music and movies we like, and from there we find other things to talk about.

By when their kids interact with my kids, the common ground is tech.

My cousin from Germany visited us last week, and we wondered if our sons – who had never met – would have much to talk about. But it turned out they’re both avid users of Instagram and Snapchat, and they both run Minecraft servers and have YouTube channels where they talk about their gaming addiction.

Their common ground in tech was the starting point for their relationship, and that relationship continues even after we said our goodbyes thanks to the tech they use to communicate.