In the final year of the ARC linkage program, the
objective was to finalise the project concluding
the empirical work with a study based
around understanding the relationship between convergence of technology and identity. These concepts were investigated by studying individuals in an organisational context
and compared against the findings from the research with young people.
The work was framed by a successful Australian Research
Council (ARC) grant for an Australian government funded
linkage project entitled 'Humanising the Convergence of
ICTs'.
 
Methodology
Data was collected
through a number of industry standard and innovative
techniques including interviews, focus groups and
cultural probes with individuals and recorded variously through audio and video recording,
written notes and multi-media diaries. All participants
were required to own and use relatively new ICT devices.
The study commenced with a focus group and over the
following six week period, activities consisted of
participants completing interviews and keeping diaries.
At the end of the study, a focus group was held and a debriefing interview
conducted for cultural probe participants. These techniques
gathered data on both work and leisure behaviour
and resulted
in rich data based their various interactions using ICTs.
A final empirical study was conducted to gather the orgnisational perspective on convergence
and identity. The findings from this study were compared against the empirical studies of individuals
over the previous three years.
Key Findings
ICT devices are used in significant and diverse ways by
this group of participants, from taking and transmitting
pictures of buildings from sites back to
central offices for work to using a thermometer inbuilt
into a mobile phone to monitor engine temperature. ICT
devices and underlying data usage and privacy are
important issues related to the identity of these
people. A multitude of both convergent and divergent
behaviour was also observed from convergence motivated
by participants looking to work more efficiently to
divergent behaviour motivated by keeping work and
no-work lives separate. Again, papers and presentations
on identity and convergence have been produced and presented in various national and international
forums. Information regarding these are in the
publications section of this web site.
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