In the evolving landscape of fitness culture, the gym and other places of exercise are increasingly recognized as more than just a place for physical exercise – they are becoming a third space. According to the Albert Shanker Institute, third places are “a core setting for informal public life, offering connection, community and sociability." However, as social media continues to grow and evolve, not all generations are finding this sense of connection in their fitness experiences. In particular, members of Generation Z are struggling to find authentic third spaces. My discovery project aims to explore how social media reflects these challenges and highlights emerging trends, such as the rise of swimming as a new exercise favorite and mixed opinions on socializing at the gym.
Generation Z Is Struggling to Find Third Spaces
One of the first observations I have made from my participation in social listening is that Generation Z is facing challenges when it comes to finding authentic third spaces. While this generation is incredibly connected online, many express frustration at the difficulty of establishing real-world connections outside of work or school. In relation to my story, it seems as if Generation Z is not the generation that thrives by forming social connections at the gym or other fitness spaces the way that older generations do. In fact, in the comments of many of these posts about the difficulty of finding third spaces, many complain about gym memberships being too expensive, thus being inaccessible for them. This TikTok video from secretsungeunoh specifically talks about teenagers not having a third space to hangout, with many of them not even knowing what a third space is. This other video looks at people resorting to going to church as a result of the deprivation of third spaces, with people in the comments saying things like, “the people yearn for communities” and “Me and my friends REGULARLY hang out at the local bank.”
Swimming Is The New Pilates?
Another observation I have made from social listening is that swimming is a trending form of exercise and many people are promoting it as an exercise that could be just as popular as pilates. Social media users are starting to realize how many benefits come from swimming, including improved sleep quality, better posture, lower resting heart rate and reduced anxiety. On TikTok, this seems to be a discourse that a lot of women are partaking in, but there are some men participating in it as well. There is also a lot of promotion for Masters swim teams, which are essentially adult swim teams that give structured workouts to swimmers of all abilities. My own Y branch has a post on Instagram promoting one of their upcoming Masters “sneak peek’ events and they have a lot of other content that relates to the idea of the increased popularity of swimming.
Socializing at the Gym: A Divide Among Younger Generations
The final observation that I have made is that there are mixed feelings about whether or not the gym is a place to socialize. It is particularly the younger generations that are split on this topic. Some social media users are embracing the fact that they know a lot of people at the gym and get to interact with them before every workout, and some others are highlighting the small friendly interactions that they have with other gym-goers. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people are highly bothered by the fact that people have turned the gym into a social event and would rather not talk to anyone at all.
All in all, social listening provides valuable insight into the evolving nature of gyms as third spaces. Generations Z faces unique challenges in discovering spaces where they can build real-world connections, with many expressing frustration over the lack of places to socialize and costly gym memberships. Meanwhile, swimming is emerging as a low-impact, community-building exercise, gaining popularity over a variety of social media platforms for different reasons. Finally, the gym remains a place of conflicting opinions for younger generations, with some embracing the opportunity to socialize and others keeping to themselves while attending.