Creating Your Third Space: Beyond Places, Between Lives
Beyond the Screen: Creating Spaces for Meaningful Interaction
I turned 66 last year. Like Route 66, I suppose I've become a bit of an American classic – though with considerably fewer pit stops and tourist photos. My mornings with coffee got longer, less hurried. The quiet moments with that second cup somewhere between checking emails and scrolling through news made me realize something profound about how we exist in today's world.
We live in spaces now, not just places.
Our homes have become offices. Our offices have become Zoom rooms. Our coffee shops have become mobile pickup points. The physical boundaries that once neatly divided our lives have blurred into something more fluid, more digital, yet somehow less fulfilling.
The concept of "disconnecting" isn't new – it's just evolved in unexpected ways. In my generation, our parents would physically unplug the TV or shoo us outside when they thought we were too absorbed in Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch. "Go play outside!" was their universal solution for over-connection to technology. Today's parents wage a different battle, armed with screen time limits and WiFi passwords, while often remaining tethered to their own devices. The irony doesn't escape me.
Sociologists once talked about "third places" – those physical locations beyond home and work where community happened naturally. The diner with its endless coffee refills. The barbershop with its rotating cast of regulars. The bookstore where time moved at its own pace.
But in 2025, we need something more. Not just a third place, but a third space.
Here's the paradox: We're simultaneously more connected and less connected than ever before. Our devices keep us tethered to endless streams of information, notifications, and digital interactions. We can video chat with someone across the globe while missing the conversation happening across the room.
Being "connected" has become our default state. So much so that "disconnecting" has turned into a luxury, something we schedule and mark on our calendars like any other appointment. Yet in our rush to stay connected digitally, we've lost something essential – those spontaneous moments of genuine human interaction that can't be replicated through a screen.
And now, with AI becoming our constant companion, we've added another layer to this complexity. Our conversations are assisted, our connections are algorithmically curated, and even our "personal" spaces are increasingly shared with artificial intelligence. While AI promises to make us more efficient, more connected, and better informed, it also raises a profound question: in a world where every interaction can be optimized and automated, where do we find space for purely human connection?
A space isn't bound by walls or hours. It's not limited by geography or membership fees. A space is wherever and however we choose to create it. It's that moment when digital convenience meets human connection. When professional expertise meets personal wisdom. When scheduled meetings transform into serendipitous discoveries.
This isn't about demonizing digital connection or romanticizing the past. It's about creating intentional spaces where we can choose how we connect. Spaces where we might have our phones in our pockets but feel no urge to check them. Where digital tools enhance rather than replace human interaction. Where we can be both accessible and present – on our own terms.
Join me as we explore what it means to create these vital third spaces in a world that's not just changing, but transforming. Together, we might discover that the answer to our paradoxically disconnected-yet-connected lives isn't about finding the right place – it's about creating the right space.
Coming soon: "From TV Time to Screen Time: A Generational Journey of Disconnection" – exploring how our relationship with technology and connection has evolved across generations.
About Third Space A weekly exploration of how we create meaningful connection in our hybrid world. Subscribe to join the conversation about finding and creating spaces for authentic human connection in 2025 and beyond.