Constructing Household Routines with the Internet

Abstract

Despite an abundance of literature highlighting the necessity of achieving digital parity in low-income communities, a concrete characterization of the internet as essential household infrastructure remains elusive. The original research presented in this paper uses Social Systems Theory as a framework for investigating how social housing residents use at-home internet to support their household activities and domestic routines. The findings illustrate how internet use within the household can increase the efficiency and breadth of routine activities, and become normalized within the household as a result. The results also highlight the motivations for internet adoption in older adult households, as well as the implications for household labour and finances associated with internet service termination in family households. These findings are relevant for scholars interested in domestic internet use in elderly and family households, and for policymakers hoping to alleviate digital inequity in low-income communities.