Why are laptops being banned from cafés everywhere?

Cafés as third spaces

It’s true that we now have fewer ‘third spaces’ than ever.

Third spaces are local spots where we can go to hang out or bump into people we know, chat with (or eavesdrop on) strangers, and meet up with friends. Traditionally, they’ve been community centres, libraries, galleries, parks, pubs, and – you guessed it – coffee shops.

Local cafés aren’t really your classic third space (nine times out of ten, you’ll have to pay to be there), but they do provide a public domain where individuals who don’t know each other can co-exist within a space, potentially meeting and striking up a conversation.

However, the continued use of laptops and other technology including tablets and smartphones in these spaces make it unlikely that people are actually engaging meaningfully or at all with the people around them.

You’re hardly going to interrupt someone who is frowning over their twelfth e-mail of the day or shouting over the squeal of an espresso machine to be heard on their afternoon Zoom call.

The ‘cafés as essential third spaces’ argument pretty much falls apart when technology, especially work laptops, are brought into the equation because being engrossed in a screen is anti-social behaviour.

Although science says that some people’s focus and productivity improves while in coffeeshops, there are alternative (and perhaps more courteous) ways to experience this environment.

If you want to get the ambiance of being in a café, there are content creators on youtube who have cultivated this vibe for you. But if you – like me – find this a little weird and somewhat Black Mirror-ish, there is an alternative.

It’s called the library.

‘Why don’t people use libraries as their third space? Especially if they want to read…’ asks one reader of a Guardian article on the topic of laptop lurkers.

‘Ok so the coffee isn’t as good but it’s much cheaper and if you just want to sit for hours no one will bother you. There’s always people around and a good atmosphere, you can charge your device, no glares for taking up space when you finished your drink an hour ago…and if the coffee bothers you that much, buy a takeaway and take that into the library.’

This is an excellent suggestion, and one that many people should take in stride if they have a community library nearby.

That said, not everyone will have this option, considering the worrying closure of libraries due to lack of funding. In the UK alone, 190 libraries have closed in the last five years.

The owners’ choice

Café owners also have good reasons for banning laptops – especially in the case of laptop lurkers.

Laptop lurkers are people who visit local cafes to work, spending all day using the Wi-Fi and charging points, after purchasing just one coffee for £3-4.

They hold an entire table for themselves for long periods which, in smaller establishments, is problematic when new customers can’t find a space to sit. This is not just unfair, but detrimental to the income of a café.

Coffee shop owners have admitted that banning laptops was a financial choice. Monthly sales quotas need to be met in order for businesses to stay afloat, especially when they are independent or new cafés, and this is impossible when so many people wan

On top of the need to keep their business afloat, owners are hanging ‘laptop free’ signs in order to preserve the community vibe of their locations. They want their cafes to be social places where people can come together, have a chat, or at the very least spend time doing some reading.

In conclusion

Perhaps we can ought to strive for a happy medium.

Some cafés, like one incredibly cute spot I visited in Paris, allow the use of computers and iPads on weekdays, but explicitly state that doing work in the café is prohibited during weekends.

Along with its ‘no work on weekends’ sign, it had an additional sign that requested customers to make a purchase of coffee, tea, or cake every 45 minutes, otherwise leave the café to free up your table for someone else.

This is only fair, especially for independent coffee houses, when rental prices aren’t cheap, profit margins are tight, and monthly quotas need to be met.

In fact, for many, being conscious of time and money spent inside a café when working or reading is considered common courtesy.

‘’I go to coffee shops to read. The presence of people around me, even when I am not actually “socializing” with them, is comforting… I always go to the coffee shops at “off peak hours” when there are empty tables, and I order pastry with my coffee, so the staff don’t feel that I am “freeloading.” And I don’t “overstay.” One hour only.’ reads a comment on an article about laptop lurkers.

It seems we could all take a more conscientious approach to our everyday habits. Maybe, then, complete bans on laptops won’t be necessary.