What Happens When Our Third Places Go Away?
grubstreet.com
What Happens When Our Third Places Go Away?
Sociologists bemoaned the death of the third place in American Life. Then companies shifted to remote work, and we got rid of second places. We just live in our first and only places now, in our sweat pants.
Ersatz third places can also be expensive, so think Soho House. So people who can't afford to hang out in one of them have to make do with under maintained, bare minimum public places. Oldenburg notes men drinking beers outside convenience stores in the parking lot because there's no seating actually inside the stores or teens gathering in a local
... See moreMina Le • Third Places, Stanley Cup Mania, and the Epidemic of Loneliness
The atmosphere, both physical and social, is the trickiest and most essential part of creating a warm and welcoming third place. Both need constant attention and periodic tweaking. Both show signs of neglect and fatigue immediately
Ray Oldenburg • Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories About the Great Good Places at the Heart of Our Communities
Not everyone who joined a bowling league (when people did such things) loved bowling. Many loved being with other people first and bowling came second or not at all. Being together is what mattered. The venue did not.
Yancey Strickler • The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
the decline of third places means there are fewer places to just hang out and bump into each other. Other economic and social factors have surely contributed to this change, but I suspect that it’s largely due to the new third place—the one in the palm of our hands. We hang out online, which means we don’t hang out at all.