Around the Water Cooler

I heard the words “ around the water cooler” the other day.
Don’t know if anyone uses that phase much anymore.
Do those under 30 remember it and what it meant.

After all they don’t have water coolers in offices anymore, do they?
Everyone carries water bottles, now it seems. If they even drink water
anymore. Before it was a matter of a drink of water because your
mouth was getting dry…but more than anything it was an excuse to
get up and walk around. To get away from your desk for a few minutes.
Or off the floor of the factory.

Then the words ….”standing around the water cooler”, was usually an
excuse for gossip, or talk about something now called HOT TOPICS.
Be it sports, television show, or what is going on in the world, and
of course the office gossip.

Now we know office people and factories as well, still gossip and hot topics,
but is it left to the lunch room or do they still have the water cooler there?
Or those with computers participate in local newspaper blogs?