From the Mall to Discord: Our Transforming Third Spaces

“Let’s all go to the mall!” A common refrain in my ’90s childhood.

From catching up with my friends at the food court, flipping through racks of CDs, and spending all my change at the arcade, my small-town boredom was often alleviated by strolls through the Frontier Shopping Centre. Fast-forward to the early 2000s: College bar culture was all the rage. FOMO (fear of missing out) had a simple cure. Never. Stay. Home.

These were my “third spaces,” described by sociologist Ray Oldenburg as spaces separate from home (first space) or work (second place). Third spaces are community domains like libraries, coffee shops, and parks, created to promote conversation and connection.

Since Greek Agoras (and earlier), third spaces have filled our innate human need to belong and socialize. If – like me – you grew up in peak mall and/or bar culture – you recognize the importance of third spaces. Our students, however, are growing up in very different times. Different spaces. Rather than malls (foreclosure centre!) or arcades (Fortnite, what?), our students now gather in digital third spaces like Discord servers, online multiplayer games like Roblox, and social media platforms. And in these spaces, participatory culture (as discussed in EC&I 831 class) has thrived. Unlike my passive consumption as a teen mallrat, my students are active creators – engaging in games, memes, and streams.

Do our students’ digital third spaces work the same way as the ones we experienced in the long ago? In The Great Good Place, Oldenburg (1999) states that third spaces must exist on neutral, nonhierarchical ground, be playful, accessible and accommodating; a “home away from home” for those deemed regulars (source). And digital spaces meet some of his criteria – people can join freely (except for accursed, pervasive subscriptions these days), interact informally (sometimes too informally), and create niche, welcoming communities. But of course – as any parent or educator of today’s youth can tell you – these spaces create new challenges like mis/disinformation, filter bubbles, echo chambers, and inauthentic digital personas.

Rise of the Fourth Space: Digital Collaboration or Isolation?

More than the third spaces of yesteryear’s coffee shops or even chat forums, students today connect in a “fourth place,” hyper-personalized, algorithmic online environments. Social media reels and YouTube recommendations cater to individualized tastes more often than community engagement. Our local food court provides delectable diversity, but these evolving digital spaces offer us exactly what our appetites demand – censorship of opposing viewpoints; reinforcement of our current beliefs/interests.

This shift – from physical to digital, broad to niche – holds major implications for education and our youth. While I love the creative power of participatory culture (memes are life), transforming the average human from passive consumer to active creator, digital fourth spaces can be selective and isolating. Without critical thinking skills firmly in place, we (teacher and student alike) may retreat into echo chambers, shunning potentially uncomfortable conversations and diverse perspectives.

Educators In A Digital Space and Age

As educators in a digital space and age, how can we help our students navigate this new world of pandemic-foreclosed third spaces and emerging digital fourth spaces? Actively teaching critical digital literacy to our students (and families) is the hill I’m willing to die on! Online spaces are not going anywhere; we must engage with them head-on, purposefully and critically.

• I see you, filter bubble: At an old school Matrix level, students must be able to identify the 0s and 1s of the algorithms often shaping their current beliefs/interests. Seeking out and engaging with diverse perspectives – in person and online -fosters empathy and increased awareness.
• Cite and check, check, check your sources: Students need help realizing that just because something is posted online doesn’t make it true. In the rising tide of AI generated content and deepfakes, lateral reading (fact-checking and questioning innate bias) has never been more important!
• Balance, where art thou?: Online spaces and participatory culture provide new avenues for human connection. I will not argue this point, but nothing replaces the value of face-to-face connection. The science is clear, we are wired for physical human contact. As educators, we create opportunities every day for our students to discuss, debate, and collaborate in person (see Liljedahl’s Thinking Classroom design).

Final Thoughts

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” (Shakespeare).

Digital doomsayer I hope to never become. Our new digital fourth space isn’t innately good or bad, it’s simply… evolving. We have to evolve with it, teaching our students not only how to use digital tools but also how to critically engage in digital spaces. Online or offline, the end-goal remains the same for me: To create a “safe, level, playful, accessible, and accommodating” place where students can learn, grow, and connect. If I have to use brain rot memes and GIFs to do it, so be it!

@mr_lindsay_sped

Getting ready for that first day back to school with #genz and #genalpha 😅 I go back on Monday. When do you go back? #teacher #teachersoftiktok #genz #genzslang #middleschoolteacher #teacherfyp

♬ original sound – Mr. Lindsay

POINTS TO PONDER:

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to answer one/all the questions below, or provide your own feedback and insights. 

• Do you see “fourth spaces” influencing how students engage/interact in today’s world – whether on or offline? How do you see this changing our role as educators?
• In your own experience, how have physical third spaces shaped the way you interact with others? What challenges and/or opportunities do you see for students in these more traditional, physical third spaces?
• How do you help students critically engage with echo chambers, filter bubbles, and AI generated content? What strategies should we use to help students (and ourselves) balance digital and physical spaces?