Illusions of Balance and Control in an Always-on Environment: a Case Study of BlackBerry Users

Konstant online og fantasien om ’individuel balance’ - Et psykoanalytisk perspektiv på arbejdsintensivering via mobilen

“…At sådanne krav normalt resulterer i en forøgelse af arbejdstiden (flere arbejdstimer udført per uge) og i arbejdets invasion ind i privatlivet, er ganske veldokumenteret (Kelliher & Anderson, 2010;Middleton, 2007). Imidlertid er spørgs-målet om, i hvilken grad disse forøgede krav medfører forandringer i de ansattes selvforståelse, stadig stort set ubesvaret.…”

“…Tilsvarende konstaterede Middleton (2007), at BlackBerrybrugere anså deres smartphones for at vaere "empowering" (p. 171), idet de gav dem en oplevelse af større kontrol over deres omgivelser. Mazmanian, Orlikowski og Yates (2006) rapporterede, at deres interviewpersoner anerkendte, at de frivilligt bidrog til intensivering af den arbejdsrelaterede elektroniske kommunikation, men samtidig oplevede de, at teknologien i høj grad hjalp dem til bedre at overvåge og håndtere emailkommunikation.…”

Technology and Work-Life Conflict of Academics in a South African Higher Education Institution

“…Hewlett and Luce (2006) argue that the constant connectivity enabled by ICTs have changed individuals' behaviours and expectations. Middleton (2007) found that many individuals connect their emails to their BlackBerrys even when they are on holiday. Heijstra and Rafnsdottir (2010) found that academics often have difficulty in detaching themselves from work when they are on family holidays.…”

“…This has raised important questions pertaining to the work-life balance (WLB) facilitated by ICTs and whether they do enhance or impede academics' WLB (Harmer, Pauleen & Schroeder, 2008;Middleton, 2007). In particular, using ICTs to pursue work-related activities after hours blurs the traditional boundaries between work and family life, and, as a result, creates work-life conflict (WLC) (Boswell & OlsonBuchanan, 2007;Chesley, 2005;Kakabadse, Porter & Vance, 2009;Messersmith, 2007;Richardson & Benbunan-Fich, 2011).…”

Disconnected and Unplugged: Experiences of Technology Induced Anxieties and Tensions While Traveling

“…Within the context of our paper, this could suggest that control over 'being disconnected' would play a strong role in the anxieties and tensions that arise for travelers. Research by Middleton (2007) on BlackBerry users explored the relationship between user perception of balance and control over their devices, and the practicalities that resulted from their device's always-on and alwaysconnected nature. Middleton's findings suggested that the constant connectivity and mobility of the device influences the individual's ability to disconnect as both user reliance increases and corresponding expectations of social and professional responsiveness increase.…”