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

Julia Milner, Peter Daly, Trenton Milner

Source Title: International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI)18(1)

ISSN: 1548-3908|EISSN: 1548-3916|EISBN13: 9781799893646|DOI: 10.4018/IJTHI.293203

MLA

Milner, Julia, et al. "Together or Apart?: A Historical Snapshot of Personal Internet Usage at Home." IJTHI vol.18, no.1 2022: pp.1-15. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJTHI.293203

APA

Milner, J., Daly, P., & Milner, T. (2022). Together or Apart?: A Historical Snapshot of Personal Internet Usage at Home. International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI), 18(1), 1-15. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJTHI.293203

Chicago

Milner, Julia, Peter Daly, and Trenton Milner. "Together or Apart?: A Historical Snapshot of Personal Internet Usage at Home," International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction (IJTHI) 18, no.1: 1-15. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJTHI.293203

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Abstract

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.