A Virtual World And A “Third Place” May Just Save Your Health
"Third place" is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg and refers to places where people spend time between home ("first" place) and work ("second" place). They are locations where people exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships.
In community building, the third place refers to the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. Examples of third places are environments like churches, cafes, clubs, public libraries, parks or often, places like Starbucks Coffee shops, which are created to be third places by design.
However, after spending two days at the 2019 Virtual Reality conference in San Francisco, the idea that the third place doesn’t even need to be within this physical world arose. A virtual world may be the right place as a third place for some people and it may make sense to start thinking bigger and broader.
Introverts, homebodies, and anyone unable to travel to a third place also need what the third place offers those who are mobile: accessibility, connectivity, a space for to be vulnerable and authentic, and safe. Often a third place becomes such a norm that it is integrated into people's daily and weekly lives—so much so that it can become a habit and even be taken for granted. A third place brings out commonality among others and can become part of a person's identify.
See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/colleenreilly/2019/12/19/a-virtual-world-and-a-third-place-may-just-save-your-health/#10b436317dfe