Pro-computer (and self-described) geeks like Steven Johnson say that the Internet is helping our social skills. In Everything Bad is Good for You, he dismisses the conventional fear that the Internet "would come at a terrible social cost, by confining us in front of barren computer monitors, away from the vitality of genuine communities."
At least one coffee shop in Seattle would probably disagree, as evidenced by its decision to shut down its free Wi-Fi on the weekends. Link. Excerpt:
Strongin said that the five-year-old cafe added free Wi-Fi when it seemed their customers wanted it a couple of years ago. It initially brought in more people, she said, but over the past year “we noticed a significant change in the environment of the cafe.” Before Wi-Fi, “People talked to each other, strangers met each other,” she said. Solitary activities might involve reading and writing, but it was part of the milieu. “Those people co-existed with people having conversations,” said Strongin.
But “over the past year it seems that nobody talks to each other any more,” she said. On the weekends, 80 to 90 percent of tables and chairs are taken up by people using computers. Many laptop users occupy two or more seats by themselves, as well.
