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If you ask me, the lack of third space is a super underrated cause relative to phone usage.

When people talk about phone use as a cause of isolation, I think of Victorian descriptions of melancholic women and their obsession with novels that brought them to that state.

Bingo. Phones definitely don’t help, but people in all countries have phones. The death of third places is a problem in America and correlated with the decline in malls and even decreases in teen drivers license.

Almost every third place in America either costs money or (in the case of places like libraries) is noticeably impacted other social problems like homelessness. And on top of that, you have to drive to get there.

speaking from The Netherlands, it's a problem here too.

This is big for me and I didn’t realize it until recently. Right now I’ve added a local ice rink for pickup hockey and a golf course as a third space for each season.

I’d be curious to hear what others are doing.

I hadn't come across the concept of a third space until ... yesterday, I think, on another HN thread.

That said, it just seems weird that people would go about their lives without having one. For me, it's mostly the climbing gym where I both socialise with my friends and strangers.