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WHAT IS A THIRD PLACE?

As Kenneth, the protagonist of Primary Trust, moves through his life in the (fictional) upstate town of Cranberry, his favorite hang-out spot is Wally’s Tiki Bar. The play is set in “before smart phones” and, in fact, doesn’t feature a cell phone of any kind. All of Kenneth’s social interactions occur in person. Wally’s is important because it provides Kenneth’s “third place”—the sociological term for public spaces where people can gather outside of home and work.  

Third places serve a vital human need for social connection. Urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg identified and described the purpose of third places in his books The Great Good Place (1989) and Celebrating the Third Place (2001). In contrast to our homes (considered “first place”) and the workplaces (“second place”), third places offer a neutral ground where people can gather, put aside their worries, and enjoy the company and conversation around them. Oldenburg points to French cafés, German-American beer gardens, and English pubs as historical examples of third places. Television has centered third places such as the Cheers bar (where the theme song promises “everybody knows your name”), MacLaren’s Pub in How I Met Your Mother, or Central Perk, the coffee shop in Friends. Many American plays portray characters interacting in third place settings: a local tavern in Lynn Nottage’s Sweat, a diner in August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, and a beauty parlor in Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias are just a few examples. Other potential third places include local stores, gyms, parks, barbershops, salons, libraries, and (for suburban Gen Xers) the mall.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THIRD PLACES

Oldenburg articulates that third places "host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work." Third places provide their visitors:

  • A neutral ground, where occupants are free to come and go as they please.
  • A “leveling” place with little regard for socioeconomic status; individuals from different walks of life are welcome, and the focus is on their commonality.
  • An open, accessible, and accommodating place to visitors, often with a simple, homely feel.
  • A place where regulars set the mood and tone, as well as attracting and welcoming newcomers.
  • A place whose main activity is friendly conversation.
  • A “home away from home,” where people can find grounding, support, and regeneration.

Many traditional third places are businesses, and one sociological study explored how some customers develop deep loyalty to businesses where they have developed “commercial friendships,” like Kenneth’s loyalty to Wally’s. The study suggests the more companionship and emotional support people find in a place, the more loyal they will be to that business.

Besides companionship and comfort, third places promote “social capital”—defined as the value derived from positive connections between people. Oldenburg argues that third places are essential to community, civility, and democracy, by allowing people with diverse skills and interests to develop understanding and trust.

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CHANGE OF THIRD PLACES IN AMERICA: DECLINE OR TRANSFORMATION?

Despite the benefits of third places, societal and technological shifts have diminished how we occupy them. Even before smart phones became part of our daily lives, television and suburban sprawl were making an impact. In 2000 (seven years before the first iPhone came to market), political scientist Robert Putnam published a landmark study, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital. Using bowling as both an example and metaphor, Putnam pointed to a correlation between the increase of home televisions and the decline in bowling leagues, leaving Americans to “bowl alone.” Putnam argued that the decline of third places was making us more isolated from community and disconnected from our broader society. Besides a rising epidemic of individual loneliness, the decline of social capital has caused a breakdown of civility and the social fabric that promotes democracy.

Economics and work patterns also contributed to a decline in the hang-out time that Oldenburg and Putnam argue is so valuable. For many Americans, especially in cities, the cost of living has become so expensive that leisure time is increasingly scarce. People working 50-hour weeks have little time for unstructured leisure; instead, they tend to socialize through scheduled catch-up with friends and have no time for the spontaneous, supportive connections found in third places.

The increased omniscience of the internet has sparked debate about the impact of smart phones and social media on our emotional and social lives, asking whether technology promotes or erodes our social interactions. Oldenburg himself has expressed skepticism about digital space:

Third places are face-to-face phenomena. The idea that electronic communication permits a virtual third place is misleading. ‘Virtual’ means that something is like something else in both essence and effect, and that’s not true in this instance.

While it is arguable that social media feeds are asynchronous and not amenable to chance, casual conversations, some theorists do see opportunities for virtual third spaces online. Unlike television, the internet can provide a participatory, interactive forum where diverse groups of individuals can gather (outside of work and home) to engage in conversation and collaboration. One study concluded that massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), such as Fortnite or World of Warcraft, provide spaces for social interaction and relationships beyond the workplace and home and help build social capital.  

COVID-19 exacerbated the decline in casual, face-to-face interaction and moved our lives further online. Pandemic policies lead to the closing of many third-place businesses, such as bars and cafés. Furthermore, the risk of infection reduced our casual interactions with acquaintances or strangers, especially as shelter-in-place policies made all work and school remote. Platforms like High Fidelity and Spatial Chat emerged as alternative online spaces to Zoom; both allow guests to “move” freely through virtual space and interact with different groups and conversation as they might in a physical third space.

We are still understanding the pandemic’s long-term effects on our social lives. One survey by The Survey Center on American Life found that in 2021, only 25% of people living near a third place socialized with strangers at least once a week. The same study showed a decline in the number of Americans who reported going to a local place on a regular basis: falling from about two-thirds in 2019 to a little more than half in 2021. On the other hand, the widespread experience of isolation and loneliness may have raised a new appreciation for casual face-to-face interactions, including the importance of urban design that provides equitable, accessible outdoor spaces. Some arts organizations like theatres and museums are embracing their capacity to provide third places in public spaces as well as programming. Roundabout’s Community Conversations, launched pre-pandemic and now back in our spaces on select Saturday afternoons, intends to create space for audience members to share their experience, building a sense of mutual understanding and a stronger community.

Primary Trust offers a chance to revisit a time before technology and COVID-19 disrupted so much of our social interactions. We witness Kenneth’s journey as he overcomes isolation and works to form authentic, face-to-face connections. Perhaps the support Kenneth finds at his third place invites us to consider the enduring value of having a place where everybody knows our name.

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References

Brown, Paul Gordon, PhD. “Bowling Leagues, Cheers Bar, and Central Perk: Cultivate a Third Place, Cultivate Your Brand.Dr. Paul Gordon Brown Website. N.D.

Conti, Allie. “Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place.’” The Atlantic. 4 April 2022.

Cox, Daniel A., et al. “Public Places and Commercial Spaces: How Neighborhood Amenities Foster Trust and Connection in American Communities.The Survey Center on American Life. 20 May 2022.

Kasprowicz, Morgan. “Third Place Theory And Virtual Platforms: How Arts Organizations Might Build Community Online.Arts Management and Technology Library, 17 Nov. 2020

Leland, John. “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health.” The New York Times, 20 April 2022.

Mask, Rick L. “What Is Social Capital and Why Is It So Important?Southern New Hampshire University, 19 Nov. 2019.

Q + A with Ray Oldenburg.” Steelcase, Inc. N.D.

Ray Oldenburg.” Project for Public Spaces, 31 Dec. 2008.

Robinson, Nicolia. “How-To: 4 Steps to Creating Inclusive, Anti-Racist Third Spaces.Planning Magazine. American Planning Association, Dec. 2020.

rocketman. “Social Media’ Does Not Meet Our Social Needs.Medium, 6 Dec. 2020.

SheneedaCocktail. Comment on People would rather blame phones or teenagers, never the parents or how society lacks support systems by U/ marialatia2887/. Reddit, 8 March 2023.

Sleeman, Matthew. “There’s No Home Like Place?” Going Home: Essays, Articles, and Stories in Honour of the Andersons, edited by Pete Myers. Lulu.com, 2012.

SpatialChat.com, 2023.

Steinkuehler, Constance, and Dmitri Williams. “Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as ‘Third Places.’” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 11, no. 4, Wiley-Blackwell, July 2006, pp. 885–909.