I'm not a zoomer but I thought it mean communal areas that can be used for personal connection (coffee shops, libraries etc). Then again, I'm probably way behind the curve and using definitions from three turns ago.
from how i’ve seen zoomers use it that’s still what it means - usually they’re talking about how there are no malls, etc anymore, or how some malls now have “no unaccompanied minors” policies, etc. basically what i’ve read about this are complaints about how online has replaced irl third places
So I think what this might reveal is that Zoomers define the first place as home, the second place as the Internet, and the third space as a commercial environment that isn't online.
Even in the concept where the second place is work/school, a lot of the stress of Second Space is digital.
for zoomers who are IG/TT influencer-brained, retail is served to them as gathering/socializing/engaging in culture (do they ever examine that said culture is just consumerism? Not so much). So for many of them, I could see these fitting the original definition.
i've told my children the ancients of the 1980s and 90s did go to the mall, but a third place was often outside of 7-11 or like the bell telephone building parking lot where we played wall ball. completely foreign and unacceptable to them
I can see this as someone believing there are no "third places" for them due to lack of time for one or lack of interest in their activities there. Some venues which serve as third places do not appeal to their desires.
IMO that’s a good use of it — not home, not work, but a third place you can be, hang out, etc.
It’s been notoriously difficult to sit down for free anywhere in NYC other than home or work. I have a few favorite third places there that come in handy :-)
I think the “no third places anymore” argument (which I also believe) is more about routine and culture and community than “options”. Like, in the sense of a church, or being an Elk, or a kid in the 80s hitting the mall, or the place you just “go” to see people regularly offline.
Sorry to do a tangent off of your observation, but one weird thing to me about how fast language shifts now is that a word will be totally redefined, used widely for three months, and then basically tossed into a ditch!
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https://bsky.app/profile/alissawilkinson.bsky.social/post/3lievpo4e4c27
Even in the concept where the second place is work/school, a lot of the stress of Second Space is digital.
It’s been notoriously difficult to sit down for free anywhere in NYC other than home or work. I have a few favorite third places there that come in handy :-)