Paper-mail in the Home of the 21 Century: An analysis of the future of paper-mail and implications for the design of electronic alternatives

This paper reports ongoing investigations into the use and role of paper-mail communications in domestic environments. It utilises ethnographically informed data to analyse how paper mail supports various social roles within the home, particularly a division of labour whereby women tend to be largely responsible for what may be called “managing the home”. Implications for the future of paper mail are considered as well as suggestions made about how email tools may be designed to reflect the patterns of social organisation within the home.