Together or Apart?: A Historical Snapshot of Personal Internet Usage at Home

This paper provides a historical snapshot of personal ICT usage in 2005/2006, specifically shedding light on how Australian and German couples (N= 48) had integrated the internet into their homes with a focus on spatial and social transformations. Using a home ethnographic approach, this qualitative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of technology and human interaction 2022-01, Vol.18 (1), p.1-15
Main Authors: Milner, Julia, Daly, Peter, Milner, Trenton
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Internet
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Summary:This paper provides a historical snapshot of personal ICT usage in 2005/2006, specifically shedding light on how Australian and German couples (N= 48) had integrated the internet into their homes with a focus on spatial and social transformations. Using a home ethnographic approach, this qualitative study implemented in-depth interviews across two countries. From a spatial perspective, Australian couples had their laptops or PCs highly integrated into the family life usually in multifunctional rooms or open areas, whereas German couples’ laptops and PCs were most often found in separate study rooms. From a social perspective, internet use can be related to elements that bring couples together, but also to elements of disintegration. A shift in how couples spent their time together was observed from watching TV together in the same room, to going online in the same room at two PCs or one person being online while the other conducted other activities.
ISSN:1548-3908
1548-3916
DOI:10.4018/IJTHI.293203