Abstract
Historically, coffee shops are social gathering places where people go to get coffee, listen to lectures, converse with others, and maintain personal relationships (Hattox, 1985; Oldenburg, 1999). Today, the coffeehouse/coffee shop scene is quite different. This analysis examines what motivates people to go to a public social place (coffee shops) to participate in private activities such as using laptop computers, studying, or engaging other solitary activities. Results indicate people use coffee shops in a solitary manner to enhance productivity, to leave the house, to study with friends, and to work. Most participants in this study did not go to a coffee shop to make friends or form supportive interactions, though some hoped such interactions would occur. Rather, most came not for pleasure or conversation but for work. People, however, appeared to enjoy collective solidarity in doing the same activity (like work) in the presence of others even if they do not talk with them.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
44
Issue
2
First Page
202
Last Page
219
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Garner, Benjamin R.
(2012)
"The Changing Nature of the Coffee Shop in the 21st Century: How Productivity is Supplanting Social Interaction,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 44:
No.
2, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol44/iss2/7
Copyright
©2012 Iowa Communication Association
