The mobile phone, perpetual contact and time pressure

Title
The mobile phone, perpetual contact and time pressure
Publication Date
2009
Author(s)
Bittman, Michael
Brown, Judith E
Wajcman, Judy
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1177/0950017009344910
UNE publication id
une:6904
Abstract
Mobile phone services are now universally diffused, creating the possibility of perpetual contact, regardless of time and location. Many think the impossibility of being 'out of touch' leads to increased time pressure. In addition to claims that the mobile phone has led to harried leisure, others have argued that perpetual contact extends work into the home or intensifies work in other ways. In this article, these issues are explored using survey data employing some novel methodologies - combining a questionnaire with logs of phone traffic recovered from respondents' handsets and a purpose-designed time-diary of technology use. Overall, results show that mobile phone use is not associated with more harried leisure. Fears of work intruding into home life appear to be exaggerated. However, there is some evidence that frequent use of mobiles during working hours is associated with work intensification, at least among men.
Link
Citation
Work, Employment and Society, 23(4), p. 673-691
ISSN
1469-8722
0950-0170
Start page
673
End page
691

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