The Critical Experience Missing From Millennials' Lives That Makes Them So Depressed
It's destroying any sense of community.
Tyler Olson / Shutterstock Connecting with others is what makes us human. Sharing love, laughter, and even a coffee with our neighbor is what bonds us. Whether you’re in a park, a library, or a cafe, these common-ground places are essential to connecting with others.
In European countries, a cafe or coffee shop is always a part of the community to foster these interactions. Otherwise known as a “third place,” these spaces provide important room for us to interact.
Millennials are becoming increasingly depressed as they fail to find community.
For Americans looking for a similar sense of community, there are often unsuspecting barriers. In many European countries, the average price of a coffee is around 1 to 3 euros, but in the United States, prices are much less accessible.
It’s exactly this problem that travel influencer, Jimmy Sweeney, discussed on TikTok. Americans face a higher “barrier to entry” to many potential third places that make it easier to just go home instead of interacting with others in a shared space.
While older generations in America could utilize outdoor parks or coffee shops with lower prices, millennials and Gen Zers don’t have the same luxury. That means they spend more time at home when they’re not at work.
A 2018 study on socializing showed that individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 spent almost 70% more time at home than other older generations did.
Third places provide safe, welcoming, and accessible areas for community building and social interaction.
There’s a lot more to third places and their importance in society than their separation from work and home. Isabella Segalovich relayed Ray Oldenberg’s original definition to add context to a much larger conversation.
Not only are “third places” separate from work and home, but they’re also neutral spaces where socioeconomic statuses are not measured, atmospheres are welcoming, and conversation is celebrated. According to Oldenberg, these spaces are the “anchors” of our communities.
With streaming services, social media, and work-from-home initiatives growing, younger generations have less of a need to leave their homes. Ultimately, consequences like devastatingly high rates of loneliness grow larger and the accessibility of neutral spaces grows smaller.
A lack of community can contribute to social isolation and lead to mental health consequences like depression and anxiety.
Isolation in younger generations like millennials and Gen Zers has only grown more prevalent in recent years. During the pandemic, 61% of Americans between ages 18 to 25 reported being lonely “frequently” compared to only 24% of older generations aged 55 to 65.
Sitcoms and classic movies showed the dream of third places as spaces where our parents and grandparents recalled stories from their “glory days.” But, they’ve been in a rapid decline for decades.
With this lack of interaction and social connectedness, more and more people are starting to feel the consequences, leading to increased rates of mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
Gen Zers have created their own third place to find community.
While technology has played a role in this social isolation for millennials and Gen Zers, it’s also helped to create a new third place for people to interact and find community.
Social media, online chats, dating apps, and other platforms have provided a space for previously isolated people to connect with others.
The consequences and benefits of the internet go hand–in–hand. While it increases social isolation in a traditional sense, for many people, social media can also provide a community that was previously unavailable.
It has become a temporary solution to a larger crisis of social isolation, but social media is not a sustainable avenue for humans to interact all the time. Things need to change to promote community on a local and national level. Fostering a sense of community, connecting, and bonding must become a societal priority that is sustainable and accessible to everyone.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.