A review of the social aspects of domestic telephone use in Australia indicates that the area remains in its infancy, but has revealed a general positive attitude toward the telephone and some behavioural trends in Australian domestic telephone users. For example, the home telephone is used more for intrinsic reasons than instrumental ones; females generally make and receive more calls from family and friends rather than males; social extroverts use the domestic telephone most often; verbalisers are called more than visualisers; a majority feel compelled to answer a ringing telephone at home and that compulsion accompanied by possession of a telephone at work best discriminates between high and low instrumental users; many variables distinguish between heavy and light intrinsic use including the use of the telephone to contact family as well as a perception that the telephone makes life more hectic.