I've always thought of the coffee shop as a center for conversation. It's a relaxing place to meet a friend or to strike up a discussion with the person at the next table. Comfy chairs, music, a cup of tea and a warm pastry -- the perfect formula for sharing ideas. Kind of like the salon societies but with caffeine.
Recently I stopped by a neighborhood cafe with a friend. Something just didn't feel right. Everyone was nursing a large cup of something. Everyone sat facing the same direction. Everyone had their laptop open. Tapping of the keyboards was the only audible sound. Is this study hall or Starbucks?
It's official. Wi-fi had made coffee shop conversation an endangered species. Oh, people are talking -- just not to anyone in the same room.
2 comments:
Again, study hall or Starbucks....hysterical ! Totally know what you are talking about. And it happens at home when my older kids visit from work/college. We'll be eating dinner and talking and then hear a beep and they grab their cell, enter a quick text, put the phone back in their pocket and resume eating. I don't put up with it for very long, but it's just so funny to me. Especially growing up in the times when if you wanted to make a phone call while you were driving you had to stop at a pay phone and pray you had a dime (or later quarters). It's like eating dinner on the Starship Enterprise with the little walkie talkies going off constantly and beaming yourself everywhere. And the coffee shop thing is kind of sad because I think over time these people will grow up and not know how to socialize without electronics. Funny post.
I was in a little neighborhood coffee shop the other day where I usually see plenty of laptoppers. However, on the tables "reserved for 2 or more" (tables that actually seated four) were little signs saying "Absolutely no laptops!" I asked if that meant they no longer allowed laptops. "Oh, no, we have free WI-FI," said the cheery counterperson. "It's just at those tables for 2 or more." Why I'm not sure. Maybe this particular little bistro is aiming to promote conversation among their non-solo customers. :)
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