Rethinking Third Places: Contemporary Design With Technology

Abstract

Oldenburg’s properties of third places were established almost three decades ago. In order to understand if these properties still hold and if and how ICTs changed the concept of third places, we looked at affordances and practices in nine third places in Paris. Our findings point out that most of the properties have changed and also three new ones have emerged mixing the physical and the virtual. We also provide implications for ICTs that aim at stimulating and supporting properties of third places.