Abstract
Having a computer and Internet connection at home is becoming increasingly common. In order to get a richer and fuller understanding of the impact of IT on life in the information society, the use and interpretations of computers need to be studied also outside the world of work and organizations. The paper reports on how a group of 50 families (183 people) live with information technology in their home. The focus is on the process of making the computer a part of the home and family life, going from the moment the new computer enters the home up until one year has passed. The IT-families field trial in Loviisa, a town in the southeast part of Finland, is used as a source of empirical data. The paper describes how participants start using their computer and Internet connection for leisure, entertainment, games, but also for banking, shopping and communication. The purpose of the paper is to explore what ‘IT in the home’ means to participants: how they use and interpret the technology in various situations, what kind of physical and mental positions the computer takes on in the home and the minds of family members, and how the technology affects the nature of daily life in the home.
Recommended Citation
Gripenberg, Pernilla, "Living with IT: Uses and Interpretations of Computers in the Home and Family Context" (2002). ECIS 2002 Proceedings. 108.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2002/108