Cyber Cafe
Cyber Cafe
Which word in the name "cyber cafe" sounds more dated?
2015 - Cyber 2016 - Cyber 2017 - Cyber 2018 - Cyber 2019 - Cyber 2020 - Cafe

This comic is another in a series of comics related to the COVID-19 pandemic .
A cybercafe, or Internet cafe , is a cafe or other restaurant that provides Internet access.  Prior to widespread ownership of personal computers and cell phones, such cafes would host computers that clients could use, and nowadays, many fast-food restaurants and cafes provide free Wi-Fi to their customers, so that people can use their computers while at the cafe. "Cyber" is a prefix meaning something relating to computers (as in Cyber Monday, the day the comic was posted), but this comic suggests that it sounds dated, previously discussed in 1573: Cyberintelligence . However, in 2020, he jokes that "cafe" actually sounds more dated. This is a result of lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing people from going to cafes, and like the preceding comic is a play on the sense that the lockdowns could shift economies and cultures to remove parts of the physical world permanently, depending on how long they last.
In the title text, Randall indulges his munchies of ambiguity by proposing that the term "cyber cafe" be re-used to refer to online hangout spaces that try to feel like cafes.  This would change the meaning from "a cafe where computers are available for use by patrons" to "a setting or activity in cyberspace that feels like a cafe" (which would at least be inline with similar terms, like cyberbullying , cybersex , etc.).
Which word in the name "cyber cafe" sounds more dated?
2015 - Cyber 2016 - Cyber 2017 - Cyber 2018 - Cyber 2019 - Cyber 2020 - Cafe
