Paper short abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to understand how technology has been assimilated within the Portuguese household insofar as in the everyday lives of the interviewees who accepted to be part of this endeavor.

Paper long abstract:

All interviewees belong to the middle/high-class for three generations and live in Oporto, in a prestigious neighborhood (Foz).

This social class is a criterion, established from the beginning, based on the assumption that families with higher purchasing power shall have earlier access to technological goods. In addition, by not belonging to the wealthier class, and consequently not being able to afford many servants, these families may have felt an earlier need and/or curiosity for instrumental items. The narratives of members belonging to the three generations were analysed individually and comparatively, in order to understand the effects of the uses of technological artifacts in the relationships between them, the spaces they live(d) and the different times of their lives. Reshaping of practices and values were perceived, along with the changing uses of the domestic and personal spaces.