
The Digital Bind
Constant Connectivity and the Reconfiguring of Family, Work, and Friendship
Jeffrey Boase(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 11. July 2025
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-19-779859-1 (ISBN)
Description
As mobile devices continue to evolve--from basic phones designed solely for calling to more sophisticated smartphones and wearable devices--what remains constant is that the portability of these devices creates new possibilities for social connectivity. By lowering our social dependence on place, mobiles open up the timing of our availability, enabling the technological reality of constant connectivity for much of the world's population. What has constant connectivity meant for social life? How have relationships adapted and changed as mobile devices become more complex?
In The Digital Bind, Jeffrey Boase explores the social implications of constant connectivity for family, work, and friendship. Using a new theoretical lens called the "configuration approach," Boase shows how complex technological and social arrangements explain why individuals often draw on a multitude of apps and devices to stay connected. He presents a comprehensive empirical study that reveals three common practices of connection: media situatedness, the division of media, and temporal boundaries. These practices help individuals manage the challenges and opportunities of constant connectivity, while at the same time deeply binding the digital to the social. By combining historical context, theoretical insights, and rigorous empirical research, The Digital Bind offers a comprehensive account of how the apps and devices that we use to navigate contemporary social life have become embedded into our lives and our relationships.
In The Digital Bind, Jeffrey Boase explores the social implications of constant connectivity for family, work, and friendship. Using a new theoretical lens called the "configuration approach," Boase shows how complex technological and social arrangements explain why individuals often draw on a multitude of apps and devices to stay connected. He presents a comprehensive empirical study that reveals three common practices of connection: media situatedness, the division of media, and temporal boundaries. These practices help individuals manage the challenges and opportunities of constant connectivity, while at the same time deeply binding the digital to the social. By combining historical context, theoretical insights, and rigorous empirical research, The Digital Bind offers a comprehensive account of how the apps and devices that we use to navigate contemporary social life have become embedded into our lives and our relationships.
Reviews / Votes
The Digital Bind is a landmark contribution because it refuses to offer simple solutions or moral panics. Instead, Jeffrey Boase provides a rigorous, multilayered account of how we reached this state of entanglement. By combining theory, history, and empirical study, he proves that technology is not a neutral addition to our lives but a fundamental reconfiguration of what it means to be social. The book serves as a vital mandate for scholars and practitioners to protect the availability and privacy of these networks, lest the digital bind become too tight to bear. It is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the complex, messy, and inseparable relationship between the gadgets in our pockets and the people in our lives. * S M Mehedi Zaman, International Journal of Communication *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 17 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 235 mm
Weight
420 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-779859-1 (9780197798591)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Jeffrey Boase
The Digital Bind
Constant Connectivity and the Reconfiguring of Family, Work, and Friendship
Book
05/2025
Oxford University Press Inc
€40.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

Jeffrey Boase
The Digital Bind
Constant Connectivity and the Reconfiguring of Family, Work, and Friendship
E-Book
02/2025
OUP eBook
€28.49
Available for download

Jeffrey Boase
The Digital Bind
Constant Connectivity and the Reconfiguring of Family, Work, and Friendship
E-Book
02/2025
OUP eBook
€28.49
Available for download
Person
Jeffrey Boase is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto. He also holds graduate appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Faculty of Information.
Author
Associate Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and TechnologyAssociate Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, University of Toronto
Content
Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Connectivity in context 1. The social implications of constant connectivity 2. The configuration approach 3. Social configurations 4. Technological configurations Part II: Practices of connection 5. Discovering practices of connection 6. Three common practices of connection 7. At work 8. With family 9. With friends 10. The digital bind Appendix Bibliography Index