IS COMMUNITY DYING?

"There was a time when community wasn't something we had to schedule or chase. It simply existed around us such as in our neighbourhoods, workplaces, or third spaces. We have lost the art of spontaneous outings or gatherings because everyone is just so busy. Today, many of us feel more isolated than ever. The decline of community hasn't happened all at once. It's been a slow erosion, shaped by shifting priorities, and the disappearance of third spaces where people did gather."

"For many, work now consumes any time in the evening where you could meet your friends. This is even more so the case with irregular work hours since a strict 9-5 doesn't even seem to exist nowadays. Long commutes, demanding schedules, and the expectation to be constantly available blur the boundaries between professional and personal time. Even remote work can deepen isolation by removing the daily, casual interactions that once grounded us."

"Sociologists use this term to describe places that are not home (the first space) or work (the second space), but somewhere in between e.g. cafés, bookstores, libraries. These spaces offered low-pressure environments to meet new people and create new friendships. Today, many of these spaces are vanishing or transforming. Everything is so expensive now that people can't casually hang out in coffee shops or other spaces all the time."

Community once emerged naturally in neighbourhoods, workplaces, and third spaces, but those everyday interactions have dwindled. Work increasingly consumes evenings and fragments schedules, with irregular hours, long commutes, and expectations of constant availability blurring boundaries between professional and personal time. Remote work removes casual daily interactions that grounded social life. Third spaces such as cafés, bookstores, libraries, and shops provided low-pressure places for chance encounters and friendships, but many are vanishing or transforming. Economic pressures and online shopping reduce casual presence in public venues, and public working habits further lower spontaneous connection, heightening isolation.

Read at Her Campus