Project POINT was also funded by the National Science Foundation and analyzes how information and communications technologies (ICTs), especially the Internet, transforms people’s lives in such areas as the home, work and civic life. This continuing multi-year project (begun in 2001) focuses on the ways in which IT can network individuals’ activities across these contexts by conducting national longitudinal surveys and field studies. The project aims to uncover and understand whether information and communication technologies are altering individual behaviors and attitudes. The research not only contributes to scientific knowledge but also provides findings useful to policymakers and institutional leaders in both the public and private sectors.

IT in the Home. This research component of POINT extends and enhances the earlier NOAH surveys described above. National surveys of home computer use were conducted in 2003 and 2008, thus allowing for the analysis of changes over time from 1984 to 2008 in how personal computers have evolved and changed in the home. As the personal computer has become more central in the home, focus on the extent to which personal computers contribute to household productivity has been added to the research on home computer use. The results have been published in The Information Society, Communications of the ACM, Journal of Marketing, and Technology and Work.

RESEARCHER: Alladi Venkatesh


IT in the Workplace. The researchers have studied such issues as the effects of Instant Messaging (IM) in the workplace, fixed and mobile telework, and personal Internet use at work (cyberslacking). They have found that those who use IM in the workplace experience significantly less work interruptions than those who do not use IM. They are able to achieve more efficient information exchanges and are better able to manage disruptions in their workflow. In terms of telework, about one in three of the workers engages in telework. Finally, about four fifths of computer users report some Internet use in the workplace. Such use is reduced if the organization places strong restrictions on such behavior, but this seems to negatively affect job satisfaction and possibly innovative behavior. The results have been published in CyberPsychology & Behavior, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Social Science Computer Review. The results also have appeared in the media such as the New York Times and The Boston Globe.

RESEARCHERS: James Danziger, R. Kelly Garrett.