WHY WE'RE ALL LONLEY | Third Place Theory Explained

Are you lonely? Have no friends? Do you think life just stinks? It's not your fault - truly. The concept of 'third places' (aka third spaces) holds immense importance, yet their decline has become a concerning trend. This week's video delves into the essence of third spaces, those informal hubs that serve as the heartbeats of communities. From cozy cafes to bustling libraries, these places offer more than just a spot to unwind—they foster connections, conversations, and a sense of belonging.

In this video, let's unravel the factors contributing to the dwindling presence of third places in our neighborhoods. Could it be the changing landscape of urban design? Or perhaps the shift in priorities towards more commercialized spaces? Let's also discuss the profound impact of this decline on younger generations. With the rise of digital connectivity, are physical third places becoming obsolete? And what are the consequences of this detachment from communal spaces? #thirdplacetheory #thirdplace

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:09 - What are Third Places?
3:07 - How did older generations interact? Did they have third places?
4:04 - The social dilemma
4:27 - How architecture plays a role
6:07 - Where do we go from here?

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[UnravelingArchitecture]

QOTD: do you think social media is a sufficient physical third place replacement?

[Khorvalar]

As a 32 year old this is exaclty how I feel. From home to work and back again, can't make any friends and the internet is no replacement.

[gloofisearch]

I am so glad these still exist in Spain. You go out in the evening and there are thousands of people gathering and meeting in countless third places. In the US, I felt alone, very depressing.

[kurtmill]

I think the value of community has been gradually eroded since the 19th Century when industrial urbanization pushed people away from rural villages into compactified, slummy work-driven cultures and building spaces.
I do think that trend could have been reversed through the 1960s to 70s, but since Thatcher & Reagan's election, our species put such an onus on constant efficiency and information driven business at the expense of connection and community.

In my mind, we can should start to build new cities and spaces that are clean, accessible and mixed use, built with sustainable and local resources.
And we should use technology in a way that helps us interact with the world, such as through Augmented and Mixed Reality networks NOT plastered with ads, or expand technology to include all of our senses rather than only touch and hearing, as Virtual Reality would offer.

If we continue to just keep making the same executive business choices we will dig ourselves into bigger holes. We need to become more aware of how we can influence public discourse and policy making so that our cities start building, developing and growing with people at the center, not profit.

[rachelpatterson]

Few issues:
1) social media, while yes you can create online groups to organize in-person meetings, the fact that there are endless choices, you might not get the same people showing up and higher chances of people flaking out on rsvps

2) clubs; can be great but comes with a monthly or yearly costs so depends on someone’s economic ability to maintain consistency to go

3) there are many third place options in bigger cities (coffee shops, shopping centers, restaurants, bars, etc) but with more options people are tempted to keep trying the ‘new’ place and not repeat places to then see the same people over and over.

Growing up a millennial in a town of 15, 000 people and other smaller towns similar around it we had less options but it helped build a community because you would run into the same people and more chance of consistency, and in middle school and high school we could only be on a social media account when we were home because smart phones weren’t around yet

[MrFuryGamesFull]

Can a third place act as a personal individual space? You emphasized so much about collective experiences and interactions, but, I guess, I need some time for myself to be away from my first and second places without the presence of other people to necessarily interact. Of course, sometimes I could bring people over or even meet new people at this place, but it wouldn't be the goal. Am I thinking in a different perspective from the video? Or am I just considering a different approach to the same topic discussed?

[DavidFf-nluk]

every thing you said is true but its not soo easy to be better when we're this hooked

[abrahamzatarain]

The Midwest is in great danger of third places going extinct