The first day of summer vacation—the big exhale. Exams taken, temperatures soaring, schedules suspiciously free. Something about a bright white sun vanquishes all impossibility. The second day of summer vacation entails that same glee: that gratification of short sleeves, soft drinks, and… time. Nothing but time. Nothing but the third day, and the fourth day, and sooner than later comes the day you’re dying to light out to some unreachable place. A third place. The term describes a place separate from home, the first place, and work, the second place. Third places alleviate boredom and burden, emboldening us to destress and connect with friends. And while widespread exclusion from third places has been detrimental, teens can take advantage of existing third places and craft others through creativity and resilience.
Competing factors have all contributed to a decline in third places in both a historic and modern context. The car-based development of American suburbs in the mid-20th century spurred suburban sprawl: the traditional backbones of our communities—roads—hinder travel on foot, exacerbating travel to third places near and far for teenagers, who may lack access to a vehicle. As multi-lane roads have divided teens physically, the proliferation of social media has divided them virtually. At the cost of easier access, social media has tempted many teenagers into swapping physical third places for virtual ones. The pandemic has also spurred disinclination toward third places among teens. Teens nowadays, who grew up during the pandemic, welcomed their teenage years accustomed to a habit of sheltering indoors and venturing out when necessary. Due to the internal incentive of social media coupled with external discouragement, many teenagers adapted to lifestyles circumventing the third place as well as its vital benefits.
The consequence of the modern dearth of third places may entail a decline in overall teenage social and mental health. Social media platforms can be polarizing: Both screens and distance separate users; they may not even be able to see others’ faces. Conversely, by frequenting actual third places, we form friendships, process emotions, and share stories. Without such a freedom, a sense of seclusion can set in, and by seeping through the cracks in a haphazard social network, isolation jeopardizes teen social health. And even if third places do exist in our communities, they exist in vain by not being accessible. Third-place deprivation excludes us from not only a park or cafe but also fundamental social nexuses critical to our health. Social and mental health cannot exist in isolation, and neither can we. Their interconnectedness only further underscores the significance of third places in our overall health. If we cannot overcome our hurdles to third places, a vital reinforcement to our social health disappears; in turn, our mental health takes the toll. Third places free us to interact with others in our communities and strengthen bonds new and old. We don’t just loiter and laze there: In third places, we shield our social health from the harms of loneliness, perhaps saving our own lives.
Despite present barriers to third-place access, teens can mitigate their repercussions by forging their own third spaces. An inclination toward one’s immediate surroundings does not translate to seclusion from third places, per se. The fluidity of the third-place concept permits us to devise our own third places. Any accessible, nondemanding area besides work and home counts, by definition. So, a walk around your neighborhood can in fact be a third place. So can a friend’s house, a shady tree, or a store you frequent. Any comfortable nook where conversation flows and laughter abounds surely has third-place potential. But the attributes of third places may not even be intertwined with a physical location, as one study of play as a third space posits. This expands upon the possibility of the third-place concept further. A riveting, intersectional debate in English class can act as a third place. So can a perfectly synchronized track relay, or a trip to the cafeteria for iced coffee. In such nontraditional third “spaces,” we merge ideas and traverse bridges in the same ways we would in more apparent third places. Unearthing third spaces involves even those who struggle with limited resource access in the benefits of third places. Pay attention to extracurricular spaces that invite your growth, curiosity, and intersectionality to maximize time spent in third places and untap their potential.
In search of the third place, many get lost. Car access, schoolwork, and social media all may lead us astray. Thus, the quest for the perfect third place can be onerous. But it doesn’t have to be. The placelessness of the third place hampers impossibility. Open yourself to third places everywhere: attend random clubs, ride your bike, or chat up an old friend. Hangout at a park or study at a library; carpool and arrange a ride in advance. Our health can be endangered, but only the moment we stop searching. So look up—you may just find a third place waiting for you.
