Household Decision Making at a Distance

Many military personnel are deployed overseas in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. They are often gone for long periods of time and historically the separation can strain family relationships. However, through the growing use of technology in the home, military personnel can keep in touch instantaneously and more frequently, and have more of an influence on household decisions. CRITO Consortium researchers Mary Gilly, Mary Wolfinbarger and Hope Schau investigated how the increased use of technology impacts peoples’ lives in their study “Household Decision Making at a Distance.”

Traditionally, the spouse at home was left to make family decisions alone while the deployed spouse made decisions that affected the family such as future duty assignments with little or no input from home. This study examines the impact of telecommunications, specifically e-mail and the Internet, on household decisions, family relationships, and military morale in the U.S. Navy.

The team interviewed both sailors and officers, who recently returned from deployment, and their spouses. They asked them about their experiences in using technology to interact with family members and derived some interesting findings.

Household Decisions

The use of e-mail and the Internet allowed for ongoing discussions about household decisions, including major purchases, such as buying a home, car, or television. It also allowed Naval personnel to research information about purchases, or buy gifts to be sent home. While the majority of couples said the availability of e-mail and the Internet was largely positive, there was also some negative feedback. For instance, the ongoing participation in household decisions could be distracting or cause anxiety. Sometimes there were disagreements about how much money should be spent or saved. The researchers also found that some spouses simply enjoyed making decisions alone and did not want input from their spouse.

One of the downfalls of the frequent use and high expectation of communication technology was unveiled in the instances when e-mail suddenly became unavailable. As they referred to it, the e-mail had gone “River City.” They were accustomed to having access to their spouses, and when the system was down, the spouses at home would panic and think the worst. Or they would worry or assume that the spouse was angry, or ignoring them.

Family Relationships

Overall the researchers found that for many families, relationships improved as they were able to use technology to stay more connected with their family’s life. They frequently exchanged digital pictures and some couples mutually planned an enjoyable future event. Sometimes the deployed personnel only had a limited window of time to e-mail, and then the spouse at home became the conduit of information for extended family members.

Several couples made “dates” where they would both be on their computers at the same time. One wife relayed that her computer is in her bedroom and she would awaken to a beeping notification when an e-mail arrived from her spouse. She would then know that he was online and they could virtually communicate synchronously. E-Mail allowed for spontaneous and detailed contact that could maintain relationships and lend normalcy and routine to communication over long distances. The couples believed that regular participation in each others’ lives lessened the time needed to reintegrate when they returned.

Military Morale

The U.S. Military has taken advantage of e-mail technology to help its soldiers keep in touch while also simultaneously providing a morale booster. The availability of the Internet and e-mail gives deployed personnel and their spouses the ability to maintain an active role in each others’ lives at a level unprecedented in prior military operations.

E-mail and access to the Internet reduce the challenges faced by Naval personnel separated from their families, and ultimately may reduce employee turnover. Participants in the study believe that the availability of e-mail made the separation more tolerable and made them more likely to consider staying with the Navy.

Overall, both spouses expressed that the availability of e-mail and the Internet has been a largely positive experience. It improved the reintegration process and gave them more connection and normalcy with their families. This would not have been possible without the assimilation of the computer and Internet access into the home.