Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Intimacy/Home/Family North America Montreal Jackie 12/05/08
Family Context: "Jackie," 43, lives with her husband and four sons in a multi-level house in Cote St. Luc, a small municipality in Montreal. Her husband, "Steve," is 45 and an OB/Gyn with a very busy practice. Their boys are 14, 12, 9, and 2. The youngest, "Sam," joined us for part of the interview; the rest of the time, he was with the housekeeper.
Jackie started her career as a graphic designer. She jokingly explains that now she works full time running a day care center, a restaurant, and an accounting firm. In other words, she is responsible for all aspects of the household, from taking care of the kids to shopping and preparing meals to managing the family's finances. She is an active volunteer at her children's school, both with the PTA and as a member of the Board.
Jackie still uses her creative talents, sometimes to benefit the school, sometimes to amuse her friends and family, or to capture memories. She makes short films, designs and creates t-shirts, assembles photos, etc. She also has one remaining paying client—the summer camp she attended and for which she later did professional graphic design work (and which her kids now attend).
Jackie is an avid hockey fan, rooting for the Montreal Canadiens. Her sons have inherited her passion for hockey and much of the family's routine revolves around when their games and practices are scheduled, and when hockey games are on television. She even floods her backyard every winter to create a skating rink for the boys. Her two older boys also participate in online fantasy hockey (and football) leagues.
Jackie is very close with her parents and with one of her brothers, who is also in Montreal. Her mother phones several times a day, and her father often sends her long text messages. She has known her best friend since elementary school; now their children are playmates. Jackie and her close friends text and e-mail constantly, often at all hours.
Brief summary of establishing questions of domain:
Jackie and her immediate family use e-mail as a frequent substitute for face-to-face communication. For example, she uses the private e-mail platform established by her kids’ school to send them messages when it is time to come down to dinner or for them to do their homework. Bickering throughout the day via e-mail softens communications between her and her husband by the time he comes home from work. He also prefers to have her send him reminders or to-do messages, rather than telling him directly, so that he can calendar them easily on his Blackberry.
Throughout the interview, Jackie kept giving us examples of e-mails, text messages, photos, movies, and other attachments that she sends to and receives from her intimate network on a daily basis. Humor plays a significant role in how she maintains these close relationships.
Last year, as a result of planning her elementary school reunion, Jackie reconnected with many old friends via e-mail. Over time, she has whittled down the number of people with whom she communicates regularly. She and a small circle of friends use e-mails, text messages, and photos to share with each other details of their everyday lives, in the moment, even across time zones. This openness about her daily life—and her familiarity with theirs--is a way in which Jackie expresses intimacy with her friends.
The volume of messages (even though they are often quick, short hits) builds her awareness of her network’s context. Because of their constant exchange of messages over time, she has a very good idea of her friends’ routines, schedules, and habits. She leverages that information to be a part of their lives even when she is not in their presence; this dynamic reinforces their intimate bonds.
Jackie also uses her artistic abilities to create layered memories for those with whom she is close. For example, she orchestrated a road trip for her husband, one of their sons, and one of her close male friends and his son, to take a road trip to watch the Canadiens play a couple of “away” games. She made t-shirts for them to take along: each shirt had a different letter on the front; together, they spelled out “HABS,” which is the team’s nickname. Each t-shirt, with the recipient’s name on the back, will provide a lasting physical reminder for each of them of their adventure. The photo of all of them that Jackie shared with us also provided an example of how she uses technology to capture these cherished moments.
NOTE: Jackie has requested that this photo not be distributed in any way
Jackie regularly uses digital photography to document family moments. She also enjoys playing with Photoshop and coming up with funny captions for some of the photos she takes, again demonstrating her sense of humor and her affection for others. Interestingly, however, she does not use web-based services like Flickr or other online photo albums to share any of these images with those outside of her close network.
Jackie’s need for self-development and her ability to pursue her creative interests is often limited by the demands of running a busy household. For example, although she has used iMovie to make a few movies for special occasions, she expressed a desire to learn FinalCut Pro so that she could produce more sophisticated clips. She noted that she would probably have to take a course, but that she would have to wait until her sons were older and more self-sufficient before she will have time to pursue this goal.
General insights:
New home economics has arrived. Traditional home economics relied on a whole range of appliances--from washing machines to toasters--that were designed to help housewives run their homes more efficiently. Jackie, who is her mother’s daughter, has a new set of efficiency tools at her disposal, with the iPhone at the center. Her iPhone is the hub of all household activity. In addition to her extensive use of it for communications with family and friends, she also relies on it to manage her busy life, which is filled with obligations. For example, each of her kids is color-coded on her iPhone’s calendar, and she refers to their schedules constantly. The MacBook Air that sits on the counter next to the kitchen table is another appliance that helps this housewife run her home more efficiently (as well as being as aesthetically pleasing to her as her toaster is).
The Internet plays a less important role for those who do not regularly seek access to information. It is less useful to someone whose primary role is to manage people, relationships, communications, etc. This perhaps explains that although Jackie relies on technology like her iPhone constantly, she turns to traditional media (radio, television, and the local newspaper) as sources for news. She grabs her AirMac to share photos with visitors, not to look something up.
In the past, IFTF studies of househilds have revealed a number of home
domains (e.g., health, education, entertainment) that have required
time, money, and attention. We can now add electronica to this list of
domains. Jackie has reluctantly had to add IT support for her kids and
husband to her growing list of responsibilities.
The monotony of a heavily scheduled existence is a limit to electronica’s value. Technology may facilitate many aspects of life, but it does not alleviate the "Groundhog Day" syndrome that results from living a routine-laden life. This dilemma reveals the persistent need for novelty and change.
Early indications of a trend:
* Pervasiveness of technology in household, at school, among extended family. . . . even those slow-to-adopt have become reliant (though husband won't admit his dependence on his Blackberry)
* Passive entertainment like watching telelvision is integrated with participatory, user-generated entertainment (in the form of online fantasy sports leagues)
* Overly scheduled life (note: look at Jan English-Lueck’s concept of busy-ness) moves from virtue to dilemma
Technology tips:
Old digital audio recorder won't hold its charge. Always carry a back up (old Sony works like a charm), and extra batteries!
Google the location of the closest Staples or similar store.
Note: Jackie refused to allow us to take any photos or video recordings of her. We have requested a copy of the "Habs" photo described above, but she wants to ask her friend's permission first.
Turn off data roaming on your iPhone or risk being charged international rates.
Be careful what you say to Canadian customs/immigration officials.