Leave the Screen. Find a Space.

Here is a number that gives me pause: 305 million. That’s the staggering global user base of OnlyFans, a digital behemoth whose recent $7.2 billion in gross revenue suggests that we are actively exchanging genuine human connection for a low-friction, digital substitute.1 It’s a trend one could call “loneliness industrial complex.” These platforms don’t truly connect us; instead, they profit from our isolation by transforming social lives into low-risk transactions that leave us feeling superficially connected, but fundamentally alone. A thoughtful response to this pervasive phenomenon may lie in the oldest solution of all: revitalizing our “third spaces.”
The Great Rewiring
The digital shift isn’t a fleeting trend; it’s an integrated part of modern life. Our attention is constantly pulled from the nuanced realities of the physical world toward platforms that prioritize curated self-presentations, subtly shifting our social lives toward convenient, transactional interactions. For many, this has led to a kind of emotional numbness. I’ve often been struck by the jarring experience of scrolling through Instagram stories, where a heart-wrenching news story about a tragedy is followed by a friend’s lavish vacation photos. This rapid and disorienting shift from profound sadness to aspirational envy can desensitize us to the fullness of human experience. As Jonathan Haidt argues in his book The Anxious Generation, the “great rewiring of childhood” has led to an epidemic of mental illness by replacing a “play-based childhood” with a “phone-based childhood.”2 This societal shift has even led the World Health Organization to recognize loneliness as a “global health threat.”3
While online platforms are often lauded for creating global communities, the very convenience they offer can come at the cost of the tangible skills and deep relationships required for a healthy society. If the pendulum has swung too far, perhaps it’s time to intentionally guide it back toward the physical world.
The Journey of the “Third Space”
Our relationship with the public gathering spaces that sociologist Ray Oldenburg termed “third spaces”—places outside of work and home—is a narrative of generational shifts, from institutions to individuals. For the Baby Boomers, the third space was often a pillar of institutional life, like a local church or community center. This type of physical anchor gave way to the commercial spaces embraced by Gen X, who found community in the consumer culture of malls and arcades. As Millennials began to navigate a new digital world, their sense of community blurred between the physical and the virtual. But it is with Gen Z that a clear counternarrative is emerging; that generation’s average screen time of over 7 hours a day4 is leading to a crucial, if nascent, countermovement. Surveys show a clear desire to unplug: 54% of American teenagers feel that they spend too much time on their phones,5 and 46% of Gen Z have already taken steps to limit their screen time.6 This intentional focus on offline experiences is manifesting in movements like the rising popularity of “dumb phones,” with searches for the term steadily increasing since 2020.7 These devices, which lack the constant distraction of social media apps, are being embraced as a way to “reclaim” time and focus, while brands are increasingly investing in workshops, live events, and pop-up experiences to connect with this generation in person.
The Quiet Revolution
This powerful impulse toward connection is manifesting in new ways. In Dallas, for example, groups like the Oak Cliff Run Club are explicitly designed to make meeting people “easy, natural, and fun” through a shared passion for fitness. Their weekly runs begin at 1406 N. Zang Boulevard and wind through Oak Cliff’s sidewalks and parks, turning the neighborhood itself into a social landscape. Likewise, The Wild Detectives, a bookstore in the Bishop Arts District, has built a community around a love of literature with its regular book clubs. Its shaded front porch and cozy interior blur the line between domestic and civic space, inviting lingering conversation. Similarly, the 35-seat Spacy microcinema offers a highly intimate and curated experience, acting as a space in which artists and audiences can connect through niche, international, and avant-garde film. Located inside Tyler Station in Oak Cliff, its folding chairs and DIY ethos foster a cinematic experience rooted in intimacy and shared curiosity.
These grassroots efforts are a clear glimpse into a new direction, a collective shift where people are actively building community in the physical world. Realizing these vibrant spaces will require creative investment and thoughtful policy, but the growing momentum behind them shows that communities are already leading the way. The success of these organic movements shows that the will for in-person connection is already there.
The path forward, then, is not a retreat to an earlier, analog world but a conscious act of creation. It begins with a simple choice: a choice that can be made by each one of us. It is the choice to put down the phone and find a place to connect with others, to choose the tangible over the transactional. It’s about recognizing the agency we have, at both the individual and the community level, to combat the digital isolation that has become so commonplace. If we are shaping the built environment, we need to recognize our role as citizen architects, able to empower community in ways both subtle and bold. The true “reboot” of our society will come not from a new app or a new tech device but from the simple, deliberate act of finding and inhabiting shared space—one step, one conversation, and one spontaneous pickleball game at a time.
References
- Hypebeast. (2025, August 24). OnlyFans Revenue Soared to $7.2 Billion USD in 2024. Retrieved from https://hypebeast.com/2025/8/onlyfans-2024-revenue-7-2-billion-usd-nine-percent-increase-report ↩︎
- Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press. ↩︎
- World Health Organization. (2023, November 15). WHO launches commission to foster social connection. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/15-11-2023-who-launches-commission-to-foster-social-connection ↩︎
- iQmetrix. (2024, January 30). Dumb Phones: A Surprising Tech Trend for 2024. Retrieved from https://www.iqmetrix.com/blog/dumb-phones-a-surprising-tech-trend-for-2024 ↩︎
- Time. (2018, August 22). More Than Half of Teens Think They Spend Too Much Time on Their Phones. Retrieved from https://time.com/5373159/teens-smartphones-anxiety/ ↩︎
- ExpressVPN. (2025, September 9). Survey: 46% of Gen Z take measures to limit screen time. Retrieved from https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/digital-minimalism-generational-insights/ ↩︎
- iQmetrix. (2024, January 30). Dumb Phones: A Surprising Tech Trend for 2024. Retrieved from https://www.iqmetrix.com/blog/dumb-phones-a-surprising-tech-trend-for-2024 ↩︎