The home is a key aspect of society and the widespread use of computers and other information appliances is transforming the way in which we live, work and communicate in the information age. The importance of this subject has never been greater with the encroachment of information technology into every corner of the home and social spheres. Many more homes in the developed world will have access to information and information technology in the near future, forming an information society. This book seeks to answer such questions surrounding this move to a "wired society" as: how the new technology is actually used; its effects on society as a whole; how it will affect human relationships; who stands to gain and who stands to lose; what technology is there to support everyday life; what services people really want; and how aspects of this phenomenon are studied. The text brings together papers from researchers around the world who are looking at this challenging problem domain.
There are contributions on the technical computing areas associated with the home, the HCI of household technology, and theoretical studies on the sociological, psychological and methodological aspects of information technology in everyday life. Also included are studies on the use of computers and the Internet at home, along with fundamental research on the social nature of human communication. This volume contains selected proceedings from the International Conference on Home Informatics and Telematics (HOIT 2000), "IT at Home: Virtual Influences on Everyday Life", which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Wolverhampton, June 28-30, 2000.