Information and communication technologies and the moral economy of the household

In this chapter we sketch out the framework of a model aimed towards understanding the nature of the relationship between private households and public worlds and the role of communication and information technologies in that relationship. 2 ‘No general model of how people use objects can ignore household practices and relations’ suggests James Carrier in a recent (1990:3) paper. The reverse is also true. No general model of household practices and relations can ignore how people use objects. But when those objects are communication and information technologies: televisions, telephones, videos and computers, the problems of modelling become extremely complex.