Spatial Experience for Third Places in the Digital Era

Abstract

Ray Oldenburg coined the term third place through his magnum opus book, The Great Good Place, published in 1989. The third-place is supposed to be accessible for social interaction and knowledge sharing. It is a social space outside the home and works, and it takes a variety of forms such as cafes, coffee shops, bars, bookstores, hair salons, and other hangout places. The conversation is the main activity and attraction in third place. Thirty years after the term was introduced, third places in Bandung are far from the original meaning. It appears to be more oriented towards accommodating the digital lifestyle of young people. This paper is written based on the most popular third place among young people in Bandung. Undertaken in two cafes organized under the same management, the study aims to identify strategies and tactics in creating an atmosphere for social interactions to occur in the third place. Field observation and semi-structured interviews catered to the data collection on users' activities and preferences in third places during weekdays and weekends. The study results indicate that a third-place attractiveness is designed to the users' interest in favor of digital devices. The third-place can hold on to the users through spatial experiences that stimulate the senses and affordable goods and services. The management of the cafes is fully aware that a third-place should be selling memories rather than products. The cafes put high effort into the attractive interior design and spatial program.

Kesesuaian Ruang Publik Di Dki Jakarta Sebagai Ruang Ketiga Di Era Digital

“…(Memarovic et al, 2014). Ruang fisik masih tetap penting di era digital, dimana perbincangan tatap muka masih menjadi esensi yang penting meskipun secara bersamaan, penggunaan perangkat digital dan interaksi visual juga terjadi bersamaan di ruang fisik tersebut (Nadizti, Hanan, & Syamwil, 2021). Kebutuhan akan ruang sosial juga dapat muncul dari suatu komunitas yang terbentuk secara digital, dan kemudian pada akhirnya mencari ruang untuk berinteraksi secara fisik (Hadi & Ellisa, 2019).…”