The mobile phone has become the extension of the arms of the human body. It has quickly gained ground on other personal items considered essential, such as keys, a handbag or a purse. And with this precious object, the citizen enters all spaces (domestic or leisure tasks) and uses it in any circumstance and in front of any person. But there is one place that resists it, the bar, especially the neighborhood bar, the one for life, with a more or less fixed clientele and where, even if the customer makes use of the screen, it is enough to the interpellation of someone to leave him. In fact, the bar culture, based on socializing, remains intact. So much so that not even new technologies and, especially social networks, affect the role of bars as spaces for direct personal relationships.
This is indicated, at least, by the study The social dimension of hospitality, prepared by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, which points out that the idea so established in the collective unconscious that accuses the new technologies of eliminate communication skills “they don’t have that much of an impact on the hospitality industry”. “It’s more of a myth than a reality,” the report points out.
Even in the case of young people, who cannot avoid looking at screens constantly. This is confirmed by the hoteliers consulted: “Sometimes, I do see young people who are sitting and using their mobile phones, but not when they are in the bar and drinking something and they are talking more than…, than with social networks”. “When you go to a bar with friends, social networks don’t influence you there. Maybe they influence you because of the topic of conversation or… But not because of the way they relate”.
And the fact is that bars and restaurants are still spaces for conviviality and enjoyment and contribute something to social integration and cohesion. In Spain they replaced the public squares of other times as meeting places and they maintain this social function. Now, in a broader and more diverse way, like today’s society.
The most traditional bars (tapas bar, bar-terrace, cafes and restaurant bars) are the hospitality establishments that most favor the relationship of proximity by neighborhood or work, the study points out. And they constitute, in the field of proximity, spaces for the construction of citizenship, which contribute to social inclusion, reinforce feelings of belonging and avoid the isolation of people who live alone or the elderly. “Functions deeply rooted socially that define them as characteristic elements of our culture and one of our signs of identity”, the study points out.
The most valued function is being a meeting point between neighbors and friends (4.21 out of 5), along with places to watch sporting events (3.99), and highlights the recent vision of informal spaces to work or study (3, 9), as a new function of these establishments that seems to indicate that it will have greater weight in the future and for new generations.
In addition, they avoid isolation and loneliness. Traditional and neighborhood bars score 3.81 out of 5 for being perceived as places to prevent isolation and loneliness. According to experts on the social issue, they are ideal spaces for lonely people to have opportunities for relationships and neighborhood coexistence.
