These days, it feels like every gathering place on the internet is so crowded with content that’s competing for — and successfully grabbing — our attention or trying to sell us something that there’s barely any room for the “social” element of social media. Instead, we’re pushed into separate corners to stare at the glowing boxes in our hands alone
We need real life social places again. We need decent parks, cafes, and third places that are accessible to everyone and ideally seperated from the cars we bring everywhere.
You are very unlikely to make friends with the car next to you in traffic compared to the person next to you on a bus seat. You won’t meet the regulars of your cafe by using the drive-through. You won’t get a work out partner by isolating yourself with music and phone screens while at the gym.
Third spaces that don’t require spending money are very important too. If you can’t afford a large enough living space to entertain, you shouldn’t have to spend money somewhere else to spend time with your friends
Unfortunately many of the free to access social places in my area have become encampments, which is its own problem but i can understand a family not wanting their social place to be littered with garbage and needles. We need to address the issues pushing people to homelessness to be able to embrace our free third places again.
True
We need real life social places again. We need decent parks, cafes, and third places that are accessible to everyone and ideally seperated from the cars we bring everywhere.
You are very unlikely to make friends with the car next to you in traffic compared to the person next to you on a bus seat. You won’t meet the regulars of your cafe by using the drive-through. You won’t get a work out partner by isolating yourself with music and phone screens while at the gym.
Third spaces that don’t require spending money are very important too. If you can’t afford a large enough living space to entertain, you shouldn’t have to spend money somewhere else to spend time with your friends
Unfortunately many of the free to access social places in my area have become encampments, which is its own problem but i can understand a family not wanting their social place to be littered with garbage and needles. We need to address the issues pushing people to homelessness to be able to embrace our free third places again.
Well, we can start by looking at the cost of housing