The social organisation of communication in the home of the twenty-first century: an analysis of the future of paper-mail and implications for the design of electronic alternatives

Abstract

This paper reports ongoing investigations into the use and role of paper-mail communications in domestic environments. It utilises ethnographically informed data to analyse how paper-mail supports various social roles within the home, particularly a division of labour whereby women tend to be largely responsible for what may be called "managing the home". Implications for the future of paper-mail are considered, as well as suggestions made about how email tools may be designed to reflect the patterns of social organisation within the home.