Gen Z Think Tank: 3rd Spaces
Gen Z reflects on dwindling 3rd spaces, dead malls, and the liminal experience of the American Teenager.
Adolescent gets our info straight from the source. Our community of Youthtellers spans the globe, and our research scales finite moments into larger demographic behavior. Regular think tanks, surveys, and polls tell us what Gen Z cares about; we’ll then distill down what that means for you from an actionable perspective. After all, the best way to stay in the conversation of current culture is to engage the people making it.
TL;DR
A fun-sized summary of this article
Gen Z wants our 3rd spaces back (and puh-leaseee, put the chairs back in the Starbucks, we’re tired of standing all the time).
The American Teen is in search of new hang-out spots, and Gen Z as a whole is sick of socializing through screens. But where do we go to unplug in a world hyperconnected to the online space?
Brands tapped into these conversations may be able to fill that need and create spaces that blend commerce with community.
Gen Z reflects on: The death of the American meeting place
It's official: the colloquial Teenage Town Square is dead. Or at least, on its way there.
Malls have long occupied the American consciousness as the quintessential social meeting (and market) place. They serve as the backdrop for every cheesy, nostalgic rom-com and teen drama branded with the prestige categorization of ‘classic’; ya know, good ‘ole red-blooded Americana media and all that.
But as third spaces shut their doors and become increasingly inaccessible, a gaping hole has emerged in our social landscape. The biggest victims of it? Teenagers. Young people in 2024 have fewer and fewer places to gather, as well as increasing barriers to engagement in the few accessible spaces that remain. Arcades, movie theaters, and malls all struggle in a post-social media world dominated by e-commerce; but so do the teens that, in another decade, would be their most frequent patrons.
Insight:
The American mall's decline marks a shift in teen culture as storefronts are increasingly choked out by e-commerce. Most midwestern American shopping megaplexes now feel halfway between a ghost town and a Walking Dead set. Teens face a growing scarcity of engaging options to socialize outside of home and school; this is a gap that brands have an opportunity to fill.
Gen Z reflects on: Th (de)evolution of the 3rd Space
Of course, while IRL meeting spaces dwindle, the third space has reinvented itself online. Both a hazard of convenience and a side effect of cleverly designed algorithms, Gen Z is connecting more and more in online spaces rather than in person. While this benefits our advanced digital fluency, it has become apparent that it may also come at the cost of essential social development.
In a culture saturated with digital experiences, this all poses an unsettling question: is this reinvention an evolution, or a degradation? While teens relish the immediacy of online interactions, a world where socialization primarily happens online can be a very, very lonely one.
Insight:
Engaging Gen Z youth *off screen* can feel like an uphill battle. But despite financial limitations and cell phone addictions, brands’ greatest allies in this fight are Gen Z themselves, who, at their core are looking for spaces to connect IRL.
Gen Z reflects on: Where teens go from here (literally)
Teens these days are finding new spaces to have fun, and being hyper-connected means that there is a niche for every interest. Our generation is increasingly drawn to events that allow us to participate in something dynamic - and we love a good theme. Some third space examples for brands to consider: music festivals, art fairs, vintage markets, outdoor screenings, and fitness in the park, just to name a few. Basically, Eventbrite is our community bulletin board.
The underlying drive for this behavior is Gen Z’s strong desire for community-oriented experiences; as the digitalization of our lives makes engagement feel increasingly more abstract, we’re seeking intentional and tangible connections offline.
Insight:
Brands should embrace a dual strategy that bridges both online and IRL worlds. Flexible, welcoming environments line up with Gen Z’s preferences for accessible spaces for connection. But these physical spaces still need to cater to our digital habits; meaning, don’t expect Gen Z to show if you don’t have free Wifi.
WHAT GEN Z WANTS BRANDS TO KNOW
What are we doing on an average Friday or Saturday night?
Moe: Hanging out at the house with friends.
Jen: Maybe I'll watch a movie with my family. Or with friends - usually, they would come over and swim.
Christina: Normally on the weekend I have plans - soccer, hanging out with my friends, maybe swim.
Brooklyn: I'm normally either hanging out with my friends or my family - we go do something like a dinner, or swim, or go to the mall.
Ari: Hanging out with my friends, or family movie nights.
Adam: Chilling and sleeping.
Do we shop in the places we socialize?
Ari: For me personally, it depends on where I'm going. So if I'm going there for a reason, like I want to buy something like makeup or skincare or clothing and I'm looking for that, I will. But if I'm just hanging out with my friends, we're just kind of walking through the stores chatting, catching up, spending time together. And then, if I come across something I do want and it's not overly expensive, I will purchase it. But sometimes I'm not solely there to purchase, and just there to hang out with my friends.
Christina: Normally I go to buy stuff. I don't like just hanging out at malls because I feel like there's not much to do. And in LA, there are so many different places that you can go to the point where I wouldn't just go to a mall to hang out.
3 essentials to keep in our weekend starter pack:
Jen: Purse, lip gloss, and my phone.
Adam: Birkenstocks, phone, and a charger.
Moe: Phone, Nike Dunks, and a charger.
Ari: TV, Chex Mix, and a good book.
Brooklyn: Phone, Vaseline, and my wallet.
Chrinstina: Aquaphor, phone and a charger.