Topophilia, Placemaking, and Boundary Work

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the nature of work by shifting most in-person to a predominantly remote modality as way limit spread coronavirus. In process, shift working-from-home rapidly forced large-scale adoption groupware technologies. Although prior empirical research examined experience within small-scale groups and for targeted kinds work, provides HCI CSCW researchers with an unprecedented opportunity understand psycho-social impacts universally mandated work-from-home rather than autonomously chosen one. Drawing on boundary theory methodological approach grounded in humanistic geography, we conducted qualitative analysis Reddit data drawn from two work-from-home-related subreddits between March 2020 January 2021. this paper, present characterization challenges solutions discussed these online communities adapting hybrid or fully modality, managing reconfigured work-life boundaries, reconstructing home's sense place serve multiple, sometimes conflicting roles. We discuss how findings suggest emergent interplay among adapted practice, reimagined physical (and virtual) spaces, establishment continual re-negotiation boundaries means anticipating long-term impact COVID future conceptualizations productivity work.