I worked for a public library for several years, and we spent quite a bit of time helping people suddenly required to use the internet for their basic economic/

I worked for a public library for several years, and we spent quite a bit of time helping people suddenly required to use the internet for their basic economic/social arrangements. While the article mentions using message boards, Flickr, etc., those are probably of secondary importance. Surprisingly many low-end jobs, particularly retail, only accept applications online. While this is probably a cost-cutting measure, it's also extremely effective de-facto discrimination against people without internet access at home. (Some of the applications seemed designed to make completing them in a public library's typical 30-60 minute limit difficult.) Similarly, many unemployment offices in Michigan have closed to cut costs, and AFAIK people can only file for unemployment online now. It's much easier to do taxes online, etc. Many organizations, both public and private, have moved their primary resources online, since publishing and updating are significantly cheaper. The permeation of internet connectivity in the US hasn't quite caught up, though. Sweden, for example, decided to lay optical fiber while they were already digging to update other national utility infrastructures, and has much better connectivity as a result. In the US, we have more landmass and far more uneven population density. While there are some metropolitan wireless network initiatives, people in e.g. Nebraska are probably stuck with dialup or (if lucky) a telecom monopoly.