Maintaining relationships? Not really, honestly. I use Wi-Fi the most when I'm at home using my laptop or iPhone, or out somewhere and I have access to unsecured networks on my phone. And when there's no Wi-Fi around and I've got my phone, I just use 3G, which is pretty fast with about 3 bars, given the area I'm in has fast 3G (yes, I've been to many areas that give me full 3G but painful speeds). I can text any of my friends from that, or go on facebook for iPhone or the full site if I need to. Wi-Fi in MY life isn't necessary for maintaining personal relationships. Besides, our power went out today (some jerk in the neighborhood hit a power box and knocked out a solid portion of my town's grid), and low and behold, no electricity = no Wi-Fi, which is when I resorted to my 3G service. Wi-Fi is crucial to me in computing though, because I have a laptop and 99.9% of the time I'm connected via our wireless network. Also, referring to the first couple comments, I definitely agree with that. I've got no problem whatsoever dialing anyone I need to get a hold of, and leaving a message if they don't pick up. That's faster sometimes, too. I personally believe that 3G or EDGE is more crucial to relationships because that is the very signal that gives our phones today their true wireless life. Wi-Fi is really just a different breed, kind of. It's wireless networking, pure and simple. It's something we take for granted, (most) of us don't have it everywhere we go. To answer the initial question, Wi-Fi IS important to me, it's a very nice privilege, but not in terms of maintaining relationships (btw I see my friends more in person that I do online).