1. Grande Wi-Fi: Social Interaction in Wireless Coffee Shops.
- Author
-
Gupta, Neeti and Hampton, Keith
- Subjects
WIRELESS Internet ,CYBERCAFES ,INTERNET service providers - Abstract
This paper explores the influences of wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) on social interaction and community in coffee shops. Drawing on observations of users in four paid and free Wi-Fi cafés in Boston and Seattle, this paper addresses the question of whether Wi-Fi access affords sociability or isolation. We identify two distinct types of users and suggest that they self-select for free vs. paid access. While one user type is more likely to support public social interaction, Wi-Fi cafés employ strategies to reduce the affordance of public community. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006