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A Coffeeshop's Weekends Without Wi-Fi
Glenn Fleishman writes "Victrola Cafe and Art in Seattle is a popular coffeeshop that offers free Wi-Fi--except on the weekends. In an experiment, the cafe started shutting down its Wi-Fi network on Saturdays and Sundays after watching their culture erode: the shop became full (and was turning away customers) with six-to-eight hour Wi-Fi squatters, many of whom didn't even purchase anything. Their second Sunday without Wi-Fi was one of their best revenue days in some time. I don't propose a Wi-Fi (or free Wi-Fi) backlash, but it's interesting how with some time under their belt, the clash of inward facing technology and outward facing culture hit these particular entrepreneurs' limit."
Why not tie wifi access to a number printed on the receipts...I am sure there is a POS system out there that can print up a random serial number from a database...make it valid for the like a whole hour.
All you would have to do is enter your code via a browser...If they wanted a new code, they would have to buy a new cup of coffee every hour or so...some hotels already have something similar for wifi access from rooms.
Clearly, technology is doing something. Technology and society are so tightly tied together that you can't untangle one from the other without destroying something.
Which is why a simple technological "fix" to a primarily social problem is rarely effective.
Stated alternately: It's hard to entirely fix a social problem with a technological solution, but careful use of techonology can really, really help.