Communication Technology and the Social Construction of Availability

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal seeks support for the analysis of previously collected quantitative and qualitative data on how people use communications technologies to construct their availability and manage the boundaries between work and everyday life. The project is risky and exploratory because the relationship between technology use and the construction of personal boundaries has never been examined. The project promises to yield important insights into how new technologies affect the ecology of everyday life. In particular, the study could significantly influence the literature on work and family by drawing attention to the role technologies play in the social construction of boundaries. It could also have important societal impacts in helping employers and employees to better understand how new technologies could enhance the quality of everyday life.