One of the conversations that stood out from my visit to the VCU Brandcenter in March was a discussion with two Creative Strategists, Adam Wiese and Melissa Cabral. The two were working on a project where they were examining the impact of “ubiquitous connection” to the Internet.  The result of their work is an article, From 3rd Places to Blurred Spaces, that is featured in Cultural Standpoints, the annual magazine created by second year strategists at the VCU Brandcenter.

The piece is great read and has some interesting implications for a variety of stakeholders ranging from retail establishments city planners to technology providers.  I particularly loved this comment from the paper:

When Internet access is added to a location, it changes the structure and purpose of that physical location.  What happened with coffee shops is a microcosm of what will happen to cities with the proliferation of ubiquitous connectivity.  Ubiquitous connectivity and the resulting increase of blurred spaces would kill any of the last digital barriers between us.

You can download their entire paper through the below link:

From Third Places to Blurred Spaces

If you enjoy the piece as much as I did, be sure to contribute to the discussion on their blog.