Information and communication technologies – A new round of household electrification

The integration of ICT into everyday practices can be seen as a new round of household electrification, comparable to earlier rounds that also led to higher electricity consumption, particularly for residential electricity consumption.

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly permeate everyday life in industrialized societies. The aim of this paper is to explore ICT-related transformations of everyday practices and discuss the implications particularly for household electricity consumption. The paper reports on a case study carried out in Denmark in 2007-8. Based on qualitative interviews, the pervasiveness of present ICT-integration is described, as well as the diversification of well-known practices. The changes are reflected both in increasing electricity consumption in the home and in increasing indirect energy consumption related to provision of ICT-devices and running the related infrastructure. The changing practices observed at the micro level are discussed in a historical perspective, and it is argued that the present changes add a qualitatively new aspect to electrification, and may be interpreted as a new round of household electrification.