'It's personal'. Private communication outside the home

Summary: Drawing upon empirical studies of domestic uses of the telephone, fax and answering machine, the author tries to define what which, in people's management of their family and private lives, spills over into the time and space of salaried work. Exploring the hypothesis of the abolition of boundaries between the private and professional spheres, she reaches the conclusion that the rift goes beyond the spatial configurations traditionally based on the separation between work and home. The notion of the personal sphere corresponds more to individual practices which mark out a personal space for communication within both the home and the office. The identity of each sphere (private and professional) remains strong despite their transfer beyond their 'natural' boundaries.