You may have heard of third places before, but in case it’s new to you, they’re essentially community spaces where you can chill & socialize…Like here, I suppose! But typically they refer to in-person community spaces.
Does your area of the world still have a number of these, or are they in the decline? Do you know if your in-person communities are trying to establish or renovate theirs to help people connect or reconnect with one another?
I think the city life with everyone being in a rush and overwhelmed with work has decreased the amount of third places a lot.
I still see some local caffés where people chill and the barista also sits with them at times and joins in the conversation, or people talking while they’re getting a haircut etc. but it’s mostly a bit older people, young people seem to keep to themselves more.
Then again, I’m quite introverted so it’s hard for me to engage in conversation to the point where I might not even notice that some place is a “third place”
Also monetization. What third places do exist are, like you pointed out, places of business. They cost money. This is detrimental to our communities