Re-domestication of Internet Technologies: Digital Exclusion or Digital Choice?

Abstract

Internet access is now characterized by multi-device, mobile, and ubiquitous access. We explore the changing nature of internet access by focusing on social practices that shape the position and role of internet technologies in everyday internet use. Drawing on the domestication framework, the study uses data from qualitative interviews with UK internet users to explore how technologies are re-domesticated. Three practices encompassing how internet users develop and maintain internet access were identified: spotlighting, distributing, and making do. In addition, orientation, understanding, play, and communication internet dependencies were examined to determine how individuals relate to internet technologies. The practices of re-domestication reflect differences in the role that internet technologies play in individuals' daily lives, and differences in the availability of offline resources. The study contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of internet access, depending on whether access arrangements are shaped by digital exclusion or choice.