66
Discord is a third space. (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 days ago by DoubleDongle@lemmy.world to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
20 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Sure, it's not a physical space, but getting on voice with the gang serves a very similar social purpose compared to hanging out in a mall or at a park. Not gonna say it's the best third space, just saying it is one.

top 20 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] Eq0@literature.cafe 36 points 2 days ago

I not against this definition and I definitely think that online spaces have been serving as third spaces for many in the last decades. But I want to point out one problem with this. An important element for third spaces is that they have to be free (or very close to be). Having a computer or similar, electricity and internet might seem small for many, but it’s not achievable for everyone. There is a barrier of entry, and we need to be conscious about it.

[-] poVoq@slrpnk.net 17 points 2 days ago

In Discord you also have to pay with your lack of privacy and your text and voice is used to train LLMs, so that is another very real cost.

[-] JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

I think it's something like First space is home, second is work, third is a place to hang out and meet people, fourth is using first or second space as third space, and fifth space is using the Internet for spaces.

[-] agentTeiko@piefed.social 40 points 2 days ago

That's so fucking sad not as in pathetic but just the lack of intimacy just makes me sad.

[-] Minnels@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

You say this but I moved away from my friends 8 years ago and we still meet every week to play games together. Something I would not be able to do as easy without discord.

We also meet up a couple of times every year too :)

[-] Eq0@literature.cafe 2 points 1 day ago

I have a similar story as yours and I also have been using internet to compensate for the geographical difference, but it’s not the same. It’s all right, but nothing beats actually being in the same room together. The lack of physicality impacts us, because we are social animals trained on physical clues.

[-] abc@suppo.fi 26 points 2 days ago

Discord is shit.

[-] bhamlin@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

So were malls. At least discord is accessible from home.

[-] scytale@piefed.zip 5 points 2 days ago

Eh, depending on the mall, they’re a good place to physically hang out with other people without having to drink or spend money. It’s just that malls in the US are dull and boring. Compare it to malls in Asia and it’s a whole different level.

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Can't speak for the US, but many malls in Asia are getting westernised and 'samey' as well.

[-] dan1101@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Malls were really neat when they weren't all clothes and shoes and jewelry. B. Dalton books, KB Toys, World Bazaar, Spencers, arcades.

[-] foggy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Shit, my friends and I would meet at a local Starbucks back when Starbucks were inviting.

[-] snooggums@piefed.world 13 points 2 days ago

It really is the space that me and a handful of friends have met in almost daily for nearly a decade.

Absolutely a third place.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

TIHI

[-] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago

Yeah. It is. I pretty much grew up on IRC myself…

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

A Facebook Messenger group chat is the third space for my friend circle.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 2 days ago

Then so is fb, game chat, r*ddit and Lemmy.

[-] yermaw@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 days ago

Game chat sure, but not the other 3.

Facebook is more of a bulletin board thats gotten overrun with people selling Avon.

Reddit and Lemmy are absolutely not. They're good for discussing niche interests, and being a shitty surrogate for actual socialisation, but I'm not going to meet my friends here.

[-] db2@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

[-] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world -3 points 2 days ago

discord? the thing with all the pedophiles? no, wait, I think it was the one that was using AI to validate and identify users through a 3rd party that got caught working for the feds. or was it that they had a leak of all the ID data after they promised they wouldn't store any of it.

it's so hard to keep up with all the news these days.

this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2026
66 points (81.1% liked)

Showerthoughts

43838 readers
1171 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
vatlark@lemmy.world
forkball@lemmy.world
SuperEars@lemmy.world