1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« This exploratory study focuses on the subjective construction of the meaning people give to technologies and their uses. We look closely at the actual cumulation of communication technologies in the household; our interest does not lie in examining the technologies one after the other. Instead we concentrate on analysing the synergy between three families of technology: the telephone, the television and the computer-internet, along with their respective peripherals. » (p. 40)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The study involved nine families corresponding to three profiles: three childless couples aged under 35, three families with at least one child aged 8-14 (the parents were generally 35-45) and three families with adolescents or young adults (the parents were generally over 45). In all, 28 people participated in the study. » (p. 40)

Instruments :
- Guide d’entretien
- Carnet de bord
- Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

« The purpose of this study was to focus on the subjective construction of the meaning people give to technologies and their uses within the family. The adoption and use of new communication technologies are interpreted as series of social actions undertaken by its members, under precise conditions, for specific motive. For this reason this research took us inside the homes of nine families (with and without children and teenagers), in a natural, everyday-life context of uses of communication technologies. We looked closely at the cumulating effects of household technologies in a contextualist-interactionist theoritical perspective and concentrated on analysing the synergy between three families of technology: telephone, television and the computer-internet. » (p. 38)