The Third Place and How It Impacts Our Lives
Most people nowadays do not have what is known as a third place. In 1989, sociologist Ray Oldenberg first created the concept, defining a person’s third place as any area where he spend a considerable amount of time, excluding home and work – for example, a cafe or a church.
An basic element of a third place is social experience with people with shared ideas or interests. It is set up to invite people to come and spend some time. Coffee shops have tables and couches, while bars have stools and booths where people can sit comfortably with friends. Being there is always a pleasure. It’s close to setting up camp inside your home.
A good third place is near a person’s home or workplace, and is easy to access as well. Simply put, there is no need spend too much time and energy to go there. People come and go without issues or planning. Walking to the area is ideal, but driving or taking public transportation is acceptable.
Also, the best third places are those that are free or, at least, inexpensive. There’s no need to spend so much to hang out there, whether to pay for drinks, membership, and so on. This means everyone can go and spend time, regardless of their income bracket. Here, social hierarchy becomes a suspended concept. Everyone is an equal, like Jim the Surgeon and Eddie the Barber. They’re spending time together and rank is nonexistent.
Why Is a Third Place Important?
A third place is more than a cool spot to be in. Everyone should have it. The office is not a place for catching up with friends, and neither is the home. There should be a third place where socialization can happen. Regardless of how cool life seems, being able to get away from the usual home-work routine is necessary. This is exactly what a third place is for. It’s important to see that the replacements people have come up with for this true connection ? whether it’s Netflix or social media and so on ? don’t truly provide for our social needs. A digital third place is hardly what a third place truly is. The moment people actually venture out and live life, they will stress less about cheap entertainment or how everything seems to be out of place. Hence, they need a third place, which can have a massive effect on their social life and mentality in general.