‘Third places’; when I first heard of the concept, it completely blew my mind. By definition, your first place is where you live (your main household) and your second place is where you either go to school or work (in this case university). Therefore, your ‘third place’ is any other place you regularly attend. Think coffee shops or bookstores. 

The definition first stemmed from sociologist Ray Oldenberg’s book The Great Good Place, in which he stated that third places encourage ‘public relaxation’ and facilitate vital social interactions outside the workplace. TODAY reports that third places are paramount in terms of building our identities and social relationships, whether this is with friends or family.

However, the events of the pandemic caused a significant decline in third places, completely reducing our social interactions inside and outside of the workplace. In my opinion, the effects of this decline were devastating, as social interactions with work colleagues, friends, and family alike became severely restricted. 

However, as the pandemic came to a close, citizens had the difficult task of rebuilding these vital ‘third spaces’. There have been many innovative ways in doing so.

One example of this is the influx of female-oriented Facebook groups, such as gals who sweat or gals in journalism, which cater for a range of niche interests. These two examples are probably my favorites, but I have joined so many that I cannot keep track at all. Connecting with other like-minded women through these groups is an amazing idea and I applaud whoever thought of these niche groups.

As young women in today’s society, social interactions are vital for our mental health and wellbeing. Through the array of third places on offer to us, we can develop and grow together, and finding like-minded women with niche interests is even better. We can only truly thrive in the spaces we are most comfortable in, and third places are vital in offering this comfort.

Another of my favourite examples is the coffee shop. We can literally run into anyone we know in coffee shops and I think there is so much beauty in that. Bonding over a coffee allows us to really delve into our conversations and have a wonderful time. As well as this, I believe that third places can be stores in general. I have ran into a fair few people from my old school through shopping, whether that be for groceries or clothes, and it is great to chat about how much our lives have changed so much. 

Ultimately, third places are wonderful as we can truly find our people there. The prospect of socializing in these spaces might be daunting at first, but once you ease yourself into it, it becomes second nature. I believe third places are paramount to our mental health and wellbeing, and I hope they never go into decline.

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