NATS as a Third Place

Abstract: NATS can serve as a modern “third place,” fostering both social capital and social cohesion. Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s theory, additional research on civic decline and journalism investigating digital loneliness, NATS President Alexis Davis-Hazell explores how the association can counter the erosion of communal life in the digital age. Davis-Hazell examines the implications of shifts toward fully virtual program offerings, and a rebound in volunteerism amid the reemergence of U.S. Gilded Age–like societal conditions. The column concludes with suggestions for rebuilding social cohesion within professional and civic contexts, emphasizing NATS’s role in sustaining meaningful human connection in our professions.