Work Online, Welfare Calls, and Wine Night: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals' Technology Use

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways many people use computational systems. We conducted an empirical study, using qualitative and quantitative analyses of free-response surveys completed by 62 US residents, to explore how COVID-19 affected their computer use across work, education, home life, and social life. Nearly all participants experienced an increase in computer usage for themselves or a family member in one or more of the four domains. The increases involved both increasing frequency of existing uses as well as the adoption of new types of use. Changes in usage impacted many aspects of people's lives, including relationships, affective experiences, and life trajectories. Understanding these changes is important to the future of HCI, as the field adapts to COVID-19 and potential future pandemics.