But, paraphrasing the author: what's so bad about being ostracized by free-riders after all? Sure, before the internet became widespread, that would be a hard hit, but these days, one can easily find good online communities with good people, so the "punishment" is a lot less severe in some fronts.
-NetRunner
Yes. Spread of free or cheap internet and many online activities has helped us geeks who were 'unsocial' few years ago to become 'social' again. In fact nothing changed for us but the 'others' thinking towards us :)
Regards,
Anand