When Technologies Are Not Enough: Understanding How Domestic Workers Employ (and Avoid) Online Technologies in Their Work Practices

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Fernandez-Espinosa, Mariana, Gonzalez-Bejar, Mariana, Wiesner, Jacobo, Gomez-Zara, Diego
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Fernandez-Espinosa, Mariana
Gonzalez-Bejar, Mariana
Wiesner, Jacobo
Gomez-Zara, Diego
author_facet Fernandez-Espinosa, Mariana
Gonzalez-Bejar, Mariana
Wiesner, Jacobo
Gomez-Zara, Diego
contents Although domestic work is often viewed as manual labor, it involves significant interaction with online technologies. However, the detailed exploration of how domestic workers use these technologies remains limited. This study examines the impact of online technologies on domestic workers' work practices, perceptions, and relationships with customers and employers. We interviewed 30 domestic workers residing in the United States, who provided examples that highlight the insufficient transformative role of current online technologies in their work. By conducting a thematic analysis, we characterize how they approach and avoid these digital tools at different stages of their work. Through these findings, we investigate the limitations of technology and identify challenges and opportunities that could inform the design of more suitable tools to improve the conditions of this marginalized group.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_10265
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle When Technologies Are Not Enough: Understanding How Domestic Workers Employ (and Avoid) Online Technologies in Their Work Practices
Fernandez-Espinosa, Mariana
Gonzalez-Bejar, Mariana
Wiesner, Jacobo
Gomez-Zara, Diego
Human-Computer Interaction
Although domestic work is often viewed as manual labor, it involves significant interaction with online technologies. However, the detailed exploration of how domestic workers use these technologies remains limited. This study examines the impact of online technologies on domestic workers' work practices, perceptions, and relationships with customers and employers. We interviewed 30 domestic workers residing in the United States, who provided examples that highlight the insufficient transformative role of current online technologies in their work. By conducting a thematic analysis, we characterize how they approach and avoid these digital tools at different stages of their work. Through these findings, we investigate the limitations of technology and identify challenges and opportunities that could inform the design of more suitable tools to improve the conditions of this marginalized group.
title When Technologies Are Not Enough: Understanding How Domestic Workers Employ (and Avoid) Online Technologies in Their Work Practices
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.10265