Technology Domestication in the Asian Homestead: Comparing the Experiences of Middle Class Families in China and South Korea

Using technology domestication theory as the analytical framework, this paper discusses the findings of ethnographic interviews with middle class families in China and South Korea, comparing how they incorporate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their lives. It analyses how family priorities, cultural values and social pressures influence the ways in which ICT use is woven into their lives, in the process invigorating traditional forms and networks of communication like guanxi for the Chinese and Cheong for the Koreans. It also pays special attention to supervision of ICT use and considers how the societal valorisation of academic excellence influences parental strategies in this regard.

Sun Sun LimEmail:

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Sun Sun LIM (PhD, LSE)   is Assistant Professor at the Communications and New Media Programme, National University of Singapore. She studies new media literacy and technology domestication by families in Asia, having conducted research in China, South Korea and Singapore.