Sure, it’s not a physical space, but getting on voice with the gang serves a very similar social purpose compared to hanging out in a mall or at a park. Not gonna say it’s the best third space, just saying it is one.
Sure, it’s not a physical space, but getting on voice with the gang serves a very similar social purpose compared to hanging out in a mall or at a park. Not gonna say it’s the best third space, just saying it is one.
I not against this definition and I definitely think that online spaces have been serving as third spaces for many in the last decades. But I want to point out one problem with this. An important element for third spaces is that they have to be free (or very close to be). Having a computer or similar, electricity and internet might seem small for many, but it’s not achievable for everyone. There is a barrier of entry, and we need to be conscious about it.
I think it’s something like First space is home, second is work, third is a place to hang out and meet people, fourth is using first or second space as third space, and fifth space is using the Internet for spaces.
In Discord you also have to pay with your lack of privacy and your text and voice is used to train LLMs, so that is another very real cost.