Families without Borders: Mobile Phones, Connectedness and Work-Home Divisions
Abstract
This article examines the widespread proposition that the mobile phone dissolves the boundaries that separate work and home, extending the reach of work. It analyses data derived from a purpose-designed survey to study social practices surrounding mobile phone use.The key components of the survey investigated here are a questionnaire and a log of phone calls retrieved from respondents' handsets. Rather than being primarily a tool of work extension, or even a tool that facilitates greater work-family balance, we show that the main purpose of mobile phone calls is to maintain continuing connections with family and friends. Our findings suggest that individuals exert control over the extent to which calls invade their personal time, actively encouraging deeper contacts with intimates.
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Monitoring organizational electronic communication during nonwork hours can be considered a fundamental trigger of resource allocation dilemma between work and nonwork domains.
“monitoring organizational electronic communication during nonwork hours can be considered a fundamental trigger of resource allocation dilemma between work and nonwork domains.”
From Killing Me Softly: Organizational E-mail Monitoring Expectations’ Impact on Employee and Significant Other Well-Being (2021) · cites this paper as Wajcman et al., 2008
Cites
Blurring boundaries? Linking technology use, spillover, individual distress and family satisfaction
Chesley, N. (2005) · Journal of Marriage and Family · doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00213.x · Cited by 506 · see citing works
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Ambient co-presence: transnational family practices in polymedia environments
MADIANOU, M. (2016) · Global Networks · doi:10.1111/glob.12105 · Cited by 445 · see citing works
Thornton, B., Faires, A., Robbins, M., & Rollins, E. (2014) · Social Psychology · doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000216 · Cited by 282 · see citing works
iFamily: Internet and Social Media Technology in the Family Context
Williams, A. L., & Merten, M. J. (2011) · Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1552-3934.2011.02101.x · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Ghislieri, C., Emanuel, F., Molino, M., Cortese, C. G., & Colombo, L. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01070 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Hislop, D., Axtell, C., Collins, A., Daniels, K., Glover, J., & Niven, K. (2015) · Information and Organization · doi:10.1016/j.infoandorg.2015.10.001 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Becker, W. J., Belkin, L. Y., Conroy, S. A., & Tuskey, S. (2021) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206319890655 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
An examination of work exhaustion in the mobile enterprise environment
Kim, H. J., Lee, C. C., Yun, H., & Im, K. S. (2015) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2015.07.009 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
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“…find that the experience of high time pressure is associated with depression (Roxburgh, 2004), lowered life-satisfaction (Hamermesh and Jungmin, 2007; Whillans et al., 2017), and interpersonal conflicts both at work and at home (Wajcman et al., 2008; Höge, 2009; Hartner-Tiefenthaler et al., 2023).”
A Theory of Media Multitasking Intensity
Zamanzadeh, N. N., & Rice, R. E. (2021) · Journal of Media Psychology · doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000316 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wajcman, J., Bittman, M., & Brown, J. E.
- Affiliations
- Australian National University (AU)
- University of New England (AU)
- Venue
- Sociology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-08
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 635-652
- ISSN
- 0038-0385 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8684
- OpenAlex
- W2086269261
- Cited by
- 287
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 29.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sociology (publishedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
- EPubDev Repository (submittedVersion)
- ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
- RUNE (Research UNE) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Technostress in Professional Settings
- Keywords
- mobile devices, work-home boundaries, work-family balance, mobile phone calls, family communication, social connectedness, personal time
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