The Third Place

Ray Oldenburg is considered to have coined the term ‘Third Place’. Oldenburg defines the third place as a place that is separate form the first (home) and second (work). The third space is the social place that one goes to to get away from the others and communicate as a social body. Oldenburg originally used this concept in reference to coffee shops, libraries etc. but I think it can also be examined in terms of the digital realm. This includes, social networking, gaming and general use of the internet (blogging etc). For a more in depth look at Oldenburg’s theory please go to: http://www.mnsu.edu/voices/greatgoodplace.pdf

King sets the scene for what the third place means for the digital realm, as “The Place”. He in particular believes that libraries can focus on digital services and become this third place again for people. Differing from Oldenburg’s idea that the third place is somewhere a person can go when they choose to, King outlines the way social networking (in particular Facebook) has become a constant in the background of everyday life. King’s ideas are concurrent with my own about the meaning behind this third place, that is, the importance of always being connected. It’s not simply enough to go and socialise every now and then, but this third place online is entering into the first and second places too. Unlike home and work, the third place in the digital sense is no physical space like Oldenburg’s coffee shops and hangouts, yet I believe it is becoming just as real for people. This can also be seen in online games such as Second Life, where this online third space, and the people, is just as real as your family or co-workers. King also briefly comments on Oldenburg’s work and says these three places define someone. I feel this is very important in the social networking arena as this third place has created a platform of self expression and reflection, and if it’s not online then it didn’t happen. The convergence of the three different places has become more realistic since the rise of the internet and will continue to rise as technology develops, perhaps places will no longer be separate but together, or perhaps they’ll cease to exist at all.

Smith’s article is very useful in linking the changes in communication facilitated by technology and the concept of the third space. Smith proposes that the new digital media platforms have given the third space the potential to expand, change the way we interact with others and become a cyber place without geographic borders. Smith advocates the internet as the forerunner for changes and as the ultimate third place.

Steinkuehler suggests that massively mul­tiplayer online games (MMOGs) may be the best examples of digitally mediated third places as they offer people an informal place to form ties and socialise in a diverse environment. It outlines the prevalence of this platform in society and it’s almost cult following by youth in particular, in turn creating its own online culture. Unlike social networking sites, MMOGS are complex social spaces and have their own environment (albeit virtual) which supports Oldenburg’s neutral ground idea.

Gooltz says that networks are crucial to human social systems and the third place is where these important connections take place; it is a form of community building (Gooltz, 2007, Pg. 1) While Oldenburg does a good job of defining and characterising the third place, Gooltz explains the importance of it in terms of civil society and public space. He reforms back to Oldenburg’s thinking of a physical third place, unlike online and gaming arenas which are intangible. I personally also feel that given the importance Oldenburg and Gooltz both give the idea of communication and interaction without boundaries, online arenas can provide this better than face-to-face communication; sometimes it’s easier to clarify your opinion behind a computer screen.

Gooltz, F. 2007, The Internet as Third Place, Strategy Blog, accessed 23 August 2010, http://www.advomatic.com/thirdplace

Steinkuehler, C. A., 2005. The new third place: Massively multiplayer online gaming in American youth culture. Tidskrift Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 3, 17-32.

Smith R.; the New Media Consortium, 2007, Social Networking, the "Third Place," and the Evolution of Communication, NMC White Paper, NMC's New Scholarship Initiative, United States of America.

King, D. L., 2009, Third Place; Rethinking the 3rd Place, accessed August 20 2010, http://www.davidleeking.com/category/third-place/

Oldenburg, R., 1991, The Great Good Place (Third Places), accessed 17 August 2010, http://www.mnsu.edu/voices/greatgoodplace.pdf