For those home office workers who are slaves to Internet access that is tied to the wall of a spare bedroom, garage or attic, liberation is just a wireless hub away. More and more people are finding the home installation of Wi-Fi technology is the cure for what some families deem anti-social behavior. Wi-Fi enables Internet access wirelessly, which enables more interaction with family members and a more flexible work environment. There are some drawbacks, however. Wi-Fi can have transmission problems when networking in older homes, and if neighbors are also a part of the Wi-Fi revolution, there could easily be frequency interference. Microwave ovens and some mobile phones also cause service disruptions. Even with some limitations, Wi-Fi is a giant step toward phone-jack liberation. (Source: New York Times - Jan 15th)
The wording that caught my attention in this summary was that some families dem work-at-home in front of computer a type of anti-social behavior. This is in line with research that finds negative impacts of Internet use on family communication. While the Internet might open the barriers to communicating with friends and distant family, making such communication just a mouse-click away, in-home communication may suffer. Internet use is a fundamentally "alone" activity in that it is difficult to make this a social moment unless you are showing off pictures or something like that. Outside of a few activities, interactions with family get shunted to nods and grunts while all attention is on a computer screen. While Wi-Fi may enable the users to move away from a desk in the corner, I am not sure it will let them be that much more social with their family. Although being able to take your laptop in the yard and check your email while watching your kid play is certainly an improvement.
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