Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
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Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#2> Adolescents are spending less time gathering in shopping malls, movie theaters and rec rooms, and more time connecting on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.
On this point, I’d say the problem lies with the former becoming irrelevant. This is why I’m really interested in creating new types of IRL social spaces and shared experiences. There’s just not a lot of options really, and for The Kids, bars are out.
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#3The article mostly seems to blame social media, but I also think that the lack of good social spaces is also key. There's fewer and fewer spaces that a group of teens can just hang out without spending money (due to "no loitering" policies/signs), and that number is even smaller if you count spaces in walking distance of most families. I've also heard/read plenty of anecdotes about malls shrinking or closing down completely, which was historically a common teen hangout spot.
Social media just removes the incentive of isolation, imo. It provides just enough social interaction that there's less reason to go out and see each other in person. I'm in my late 20's and I haven't seen some of my best friends in months, but we all chat in Discord and play games together frequently, almost daily. It's not the same as actually hanging out, but it's enough to make not hanging out less painful.
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#4> Adolescents are spending less time gathering in shopping malls, movie theaters and rec rooms, and more time connecting on Instagram, TikTok and Discord. On this point, I’d say the problem lies with the former becoming irrelevant. This is why I’m really interested in creating new types of IRL social spaces and shared experiences. There’s just not a lot of options really, and for The Kids, bars are out.
The whole concept of Third Places[1] is kind of dying out. Like you said, bars don't work for kids, and other common places are either dwindling or just don't allow loitering - which is basically what teens are doing when they go hang out somewhere.
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#5We're letting technology direct us to social interactions in ways that are pretty scary actually.
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#6> Adolescents are spending less time gathering in shopping malls, movie theaters and rec rooms, and more time connecting on Instagram, TikTok and Discord. On this point, I’d say the problem lies with the former becoming irrelevant. This is why I’m really interested in creating new types of IRL social spaces and shared experiences. There’s just not a lot of options really, and for The Kids, bars are out.
Pokemon Go had a unique approach to shared experience in augmented reality. Arcades are dead, movies are for the wealthy, but you can still make your own fun chasing invisible objects around the city.
Almost like it's a shared hallucination experienced by multiple users. (We could call the concept...a SHMU.)
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#7> Adolescents are spending less time gathering in shopping malls, movie theaters and rec rooms, and more time connecting on Instagram, TikTok and Discord. On this point, I’d say the problem lies with the former becoming irrelevant. This is why I’m really interested in creating new types of IRL social spaces and shared experiences. There’s just not a lot of options really, and for The Kids, bars are out.
The whole concept of Third Places[1] is kind of dying out. Like you said, bars don't work for kids, and other common places are either dwindling or just don't allow loitering - which is basically what teens are doing when they go hang out somewhere. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
Hadn't heard of this concept, super interesting, thank you so much!
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#8Oh but soon they'll all have Vision Pro goggles and will facetime their friends' avatars!
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#9> Adolescents are spending less time gathering in shopping malls, movie theaters and rec rooms, and more time connecting on Instagram, TikTok and Discord. On this point, I’d say the problem lies with the former becoming irrelevant. This is why I’m really interested in creating new types of IRL social spaces and shared experiences. There’s just not a lot of options really, and for The Kids, bars are out.
The whole concept of Third Places[1] is kind of dying out. Like you said, bars don't work for kids, and other common places are either dwindling or just don't allow loitering - which is basically what teens are doing when they go hang out somewhere. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
The cost of rent is so high that providing space to linger is non economical
Re: Teens are spending less time than ever with friends
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
The whole concept of Third Places[1] is kind of dying out. Like you said, bars don't work for kids, and other common places are either dwindling or just don't allow loitering - which is basically what teens are doing when they go hang out somewhere. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
The cost of rent is so high that providing space to linger is non economical
Yeah, one of the fundamental tenants of behavioral economics is that economic structures drive how people interact in society. So rising rent prices create a less livable world