The Death of the Hangout

Displacing places displaces people 

By Lheyaa Mathivanan 

Photograph by Serenidy Ryan

Do you miss late-night dining? 

Well, so do I. 

I’m not talking about the food—though a greasy basket of fries hits different when you’re delusional from midterms.  

Late-night dining was one place at BU where you didn’t have to be anyone. You could just show up, grab food, sit with friends, and laugh about absolutely nothing. You could have a textbook open, but the productivity was optional. It was socially rejuvenating in its simplest form.  

But lately, these midnight sanctuary spots have been quietly vanishing. And this isn’t just a  campus inconvenience; it’s part of a larger trend: the death of the ‘Third Space.’ 

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg describes a third space as anywhere that isn’t home (the first space) or work (the second space). Think of cafes, barbershops, parks, or even dining halls that stay open late just enough to become a habit. 

They’re ordinary places, but that’s exactly why they matter; They give people somewhere to exist without pressure.  

But between rising costs, urbanization, and “screenification,” these low-stakes hangouts are being phased out.  

The result? We’re becoming a generation of ‘screenagers.’ 

When you feel that hollow pang of loneliness, it’s partly because a physical space has been replaced by a digital one. We’ve started valuing Discord pings more than the ‘doing nothing’  energy of a student union.  

But there’s an even greater perspective to this.  

Even when we do go out, we’ve turned these spaces into a routine checklist. Think about it.  You storm into Starbucks, grab your coffee the minute you see it, and bolt. We eat like ‘iPad kids’ even though we’re surrounded by hundreds of people.  

The quiet discouragement of lingering has turned hangouts into pit spots. Every visit feels transactional now. You grab what you need and leave.  

Third spaces used to be the sparks for real-world connection. People didn’t just drink coffee;  they started rumors and ignited revolutions. Sure, social media does that now, but honestly,  what story would you rather tell your kids? Would you rather say: “I met your mother on a subreddit,” or “We accidentally met while loitering in the hallway after a midterm”?

Displacing space displaces people, so it’s time to bring back the art of loitering and existing. 

Reclaim the right to do absolutely nothing, together!