Sociologists talk about the “First Place” (your home) and the “Second Place” (your work). But for a society to remain sane, creative, and connected, it needs a Third Place. This is the pub, the library, the park bench, or the neighborhood café—the neutral ground where you are neither a “boss,” a “parent,” nor a “customer,” but simply a citizen. In the newsroom, we used to find our best stories in these spaces. You’d overhear a tip at the bar or spot a trend while watching people in the square. Today, we’ve traded the Third Place for the “Digital Feed,” and we are poorer for it. 1. The “Low-Stakes” Connection The…