Xiaolin Zhuo quoted in The Guardian

July 20, 2017
Xiaolin Zhuo quoted in The Guardian
Xiaolin Zhuo discusses the role of technology in modern relationships in a recent article in The Guardian, "How List-Making Apps Could Save Your Relationship."


Excerpted from the article:

Technology is often blamed for causing trouble in relationships with people spending too much time on their phones. But Xiaolin Zhuo, a Harvard University Sociology PhD candidate in whose research focuses on how technology affects relationships, has found that that’s not the whole story. “People [in a study] acknowledged that their partner sometimes got distracted, but they still said technology played a positive role. A big component to this is sharing tasks,” said Zhuo. Key to task management apps is the ability to assign jobs to individuals, and Zhuo points out how “a shared calendar with reminders means you’re less likely to shirk your responsibilities.”

Zhuo is quick to add that none of this is new behaviour – task sharing is as old as time – but sharing tech does have unique benefits: “Because of the logistics that can be dealt with using technology, couples can save in-person, quality time.”