Digital Bind

As mobile devices continue to evolve--from basic phones designed solely for calling to more sophisticated smartphones and wearable devices--what remains constant is that the portability of these devices creates new possibilities for social connectivity. By lowering our social dependence on place, mobiles open up the timing of our availability, enabling the technological reality of constant connectivity for much of the world's population. What has constant connectivity meant for social life? How have relationships adapted and changed as mobile devices become more complex? In The Digital Bind, Jeffrey Boase explores the social implications of constant connectivity for family, work, and friendship. Using a new theoretical lens called the "configuration approach," Boase shows how complex technological and social arrangements explain why individuals often draw on a multitude of apps and devices to stay connected. He presents a comprehensive empirical study that reveals three common practices of connection: media situatedness, the division of media, and temporal boundaries. These practices help individuals manage the challenges and opportunities of constant connectivity, while at the same time deeply binding the digital to the social. By combining historical context, theoretical insights, and rigorous empirical research, The Digital Bind offers a comprehensive account of how the apps and devices that we use to navigate contemporary social life have become embedded into our lives and our relationships.

Jeffrey Boase is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto. He also holds graduate appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Faculty of Information.