Social Studying: The Correlation
Between Third Place and Work in
Coffee Shops
Sonoma State University
SOCI 498: Senior Seminar
Public Life and Public Space
Professor Melinda Milligan
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ABSTRACT
This paper is an exploration of the correlation between coffee shops and the
productivity in them, when it comes to terms of students and workers doing work outside
of the office. Coffee shops, such as Starbucks, have become a haven for those who come in
to do work, study, or even to simply pass the time. Starbucks has become a third place for
many, becoming an office outside of the office, or even in some sense, a living room, where
friends can come to meet. Coffee shops such as this have become a place where “social
studying” takes place. This research covers a longitudinal observational study, spanning
over the course of twenty hours at a single Starbucks location. This study primarily focuses
on how students and workers privatize public space, and why many of us are drawn to do
our work in such quasi-public spaces.
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Introduction
Starbucks has flourished from a simple coffee shop in Washington into a world-wide
chain, where people go to not only get their morning cup of coffee, or as a simple pit stop,
but also to socialize, have meetings, study, and do their work. Some even go as far as to
creating their own mini office to do their work more comfortably. When reading more
about the Starbucks chain, their company website says to “expect more than coffee” and
delve further into this statement:
“It’s not unusual to see people coming to Starbucks to chat, meet up or even work. We’re a
neighborhood gathering place, a part of the daily routine-and we couldn’t be happier about it.
Get to know us and you’ll see: we are so much more than what we brew” (Starbucks).
As a college student, I have found myself heading to Starbucks to study—either with
friends or on my own—or simply just to hang out outside of my home, and as I look back,
the proximity to coffee was not what was so enticing to me. I had found that in terms of
work, it had given me the push I needed to stay focused; to be around like-minded
individuals, who were assuming the same role as me. This drive is what enabled me to
complete the tasks at hand in a fast and efficient manner.
As I started my research, I hoped to obtain a better understanding of the correlation
between students and their desire to delve into their work at coffee shops, such as
Starbucks. As a student, I find myself following my peers, and creating my own miniature
office within these shops, ignoring the world around me, and become lost in my own books,
or computer, while the nearby hustle and bustle created a serene ambiance. As a Sociology
major, I come to find myself often wondering why people do the things that they do, and
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with this opportunity, I aimed to find out why many of us are drawn to do our work in such
quasi-public spaces.
I had originally planned to focus primarily on students working within the
establishment whose strong aroma of coffee tends to linger on your clothing and
belongings much longer than you would like. However, as my research developed, so did
my focus. I decided to look towards all sources of productivity within Starbucks, from
students burying themselves within their books as they study, to business men and women
connecting with clients or to meet with coworkers.
This paper is a study that discusses how Starbucks has transformed from a simple
coffee shop into an office outside of an office, a workspace, a living space, and a space that
has taken upon the title of a “third place.” Within this paper is a literature review which
looks at the correlation between coffee shop culture and students, delving into concepts
such as place attachments and communities, students and their study habits, and even
social facilitation and students. I include a research methods section, which shows my
behind the scenes tactics of how and why I chose how to go about my study, as well as what
patterns I had found during the process.
Literature Review
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to find the correlation between coffee shop culture and
students. Coffee shops, such as Starbucks, have grown from a simple pit stop for people to
receive their morning coffee on their way to work, into places they seek to socialize, have
meetings, as well as do work outside of the office. This topic has sparked interest in me
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because as a college student, I have found myself spending hours within Starbucks to study,
work on projects, and even to do this very literature review. This literature review will be
focusing on three sub-topics: Place Attachment and Communities, Students and Study
Habits, and Social Facilitation and Students.
Methods
Studies have been done upon people and place attachment, study habits, and
students studying. However, no studies have been conducted upon student study habits
and their correlation with coffee shop culture, such as that of Starbucks. The research done
have utilized methods such as observational studies, questionnaires, interviews, empirical
study, and data collection. Though effective methods for the various studies, limitations
were prevalent in some, such as that of Morgan, Rendell, Ehn, Hoppitt, and Laland (2012),
where the “linear protocol weakens the effect by limiting the analysis to instances where
subjects disagree with the social information that they receive” (p. 659).
Place Attachment and Communities
A “third place” is created to mimic home-like characteristics, allowing one to relax,
mingle, etc. It is a place where people spend time away from their home or office. Griffiths
and Gilly’s research (2012), finds that many customers observed tend to behave
territorially in cafés, creating both home and work territories, simultaneously. Griffith and
Gilly describe territorial behavior as “a self/other boundary-regulation mechanism that
involves personalization of or marking of a place or object and communication that it is
‘owned’ by a person or group.” Customers are encouraged in establishments such as
Starbucks to display such territorial behaviors, as they are given permission to linger,
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allowing the opportunity to utilize the space as an extension of work or home, unlike many
servicescapes, which are designed to continue the constant flow of customers. Some cafés
create a “homey” atmosphere, allowing one to feel the same characteristics as their own
home, while also creating a space for work purposes. Gupta, Neeti, and Hampton’s research
study (2006) suggests that “networked individualism” allows people to embrace
computerized communication, thus transforming the networking structure of work and
community.
Many third places are given their identity through the beverages they serve. In this
instance, coffee shops give opportunity for socializing and conversation. These places are
also utilized as spaces in which people are allowed to gather and speak freely with others
within their communities. Coffee shops have transformed into third places in which the
community can freely congregate amongst themselves, in a regular fashion (Waxman,
2006).
Through places such as Wi–Fi cafes, people are not only able to thrive from people-
in-place communication and interaction, but “people in any place,” as well. Waxman’s study
(2006) focuses on the characteristics in which causes communities to form place
attachment. These characteristics being summed up in five areas: cleanliness, aroma,
adequate lighting, comfortable furniture, and being able to view the outside. Such
characteristics allows one to feel invited to linger, thus influencing the social culture of a
coffee shop. The lack of Wi–Fi connection in public establishments causes patrons to
question the “hospitality” of a place, emphasizing its uninviting feature, creating a lack of
appeal.
A third place is of importance, as people cannot thrive in isolation. The focus of
Rosenbaum’s study (2006) concentrates on the reasoning for the importance of a third
place, primarily for customers of an older age. Third places allow for people to satisfy not
only their needs of consumption, whether that be food, drink, etc., as well as their need for
companionship and emotional support. This allows not only people of older-age to thrive,
but even those who have experienced divorce, as well as those that can be dubbed as
“regulars” at such establishments.
Students and Study Habits
Socioemotional support is impactful in terms of education. It can be concluded,
through various research, that classrooms with evenly distributed and interconnected
social ties allowed for a decrease in behavioral issues, as well as less opportunity for
