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Christina Sarkissian

Dr. Santosh Khadka

English 113B

2 March 2020

Difference Between Spaces

Is it important to have a liminal space in our daily lives? People might argue that taking

some time off from everything and focusing on themselves is not important, in reality, it is very

beneficial. It helps you reflect, reset, and rest your mind for you to have some time to yourself.

This is called a third space, which has many benefits to a human’s life because we constantly

work and stress without even noticing. Some ways to achieve this are to be on social media such

as Facebook or going to a library.

There are many differences between spaces, such as physical space and web space. A

physical space can be the beach, library, and the park. A web space can be social media apps

such as Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram. People argue that some of these spaces are private

and some are public, and use them as their third space. A third space is where a person has time

to themselves to reflect, reset, and rest. Private space is a place where people can have privacy

with no distraction. Public space is a place where there are a lot of people where they can

socialize and interact with the public. To popular belief, Facebook has been known for a place to

interact with people and share moments with their friends. This web space can be considered

private because you can have private conversations, and a private space such as choosing who

you want to see your posts. Some might argue that Facebook is a public space because there are

accounts that can be public, however; Facebook allows you to make your account private where
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the user can pick and choose whoever sees their posts on it. In the book “Sporting Safe in the

Liminal Space: Tactics and Facebook” written by Dr. Santosh Khadka states “Thus, circling

back, it becomes clear that Facebook is neither a

public nor a private sphere in the traditional

sense.” This quote says that Facebook is neither a

private or a public space, yet people can still

argue both sides. In one of the interviews that I

conducted, I asked “Do you think Facebook is a

private or a public space?” Robert Shainksy

answered, “I think Facebook is a private space

for the most part because of their terms and

conditions and their content privacy” (Shainsky).

Over the past years, Facebook has changed its policy to satisfy its users. In this picture, it

explains their Rights and Responsibility, Privacy, and sharing content information. They have

always been very strict about their content information because they always want to satisfy their

users. The second interviewer Dr. Santosh Khadka states “Facebook is neither a private nor a

public space, but an in-between liminal sphere. It has privacy settings, but Facebook employees

have access to all your postings and inbox messages. On the other hand, some info and groups on

Facebook are public, but not everything is visible to everyone. So, this space blurs the line

between the private and public spaces”(Khadka). To a certain extent, nothing can be fully private

in this world, but it is the closest thing to it. Facebook can be seen as a third space because it is
accessible all the time throughout the day, unlike the library which is only open on certain times

of the day.

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Libraries have been around for many centuries and people go there for many reasons. The

library can be used in many different ways such as relaxing, reading books, and finding

resources for any type of project. The Library can be a place to socialize and interact with people

which makes it a Public Space. People can argue that going to the library can be a private space

because they can have their own time without any disturbance, however; there can be a lot of

disturbance at the library. The library at CSUN is divided into different categories based on the

noise level. Even with those rules, people can still disturb the area of the library that is supposed

to be quiet. In the interviews I conducted, I asked “ Do you think the library is a private or a

public space?” Aghavni Torossian

answered “ It depends on what library we

are talking about, if we are talking about

public libraries then definitely it is open to

the public, however; there are private

libraries where you can be alone, then again

if there is more than one person there I

believe it becomes more

public”(Torossian). I agree with the point

she is making,

anywhere that has more than one person becomes more public because you will not have a lot of

privacy. The picture here shows that even though people are studying in a library, it does not
mean that it is a private space because people can easily get distracted. In the article “Libraries as

the Spaces Between us Recognizing and Valuing the Third Space” by James K. Elmborg says,

“As Absolute space, the library presents itself as a highly articulated, powerfully constructed

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institution. Overlaid with both organizational schemes and behavioral rules, Library space is

what Lefebvre calls dominated space. Dominated space is so defined by intellectual structures

and behavioral rules, so dominated with its sense of it on identity, that is effectively crowds out

of alternative uses.” This quote explains how the library is its own center and it is organized by

many rules and regulations. In a survey I conducted, sixty-two percent believe that the library is

a public space. I also believe that the library is a public space because there is little to no privacy

there.

As expressed in the articles and the research I did, it shows that Facebook being a private

space can be a liminal space also. The library is a public space that has a lot of benefits to the

public with all its resources. It is important to have some time to yourself in order to gain an

understanding of what you are going to do next in life or that day. In general, I believe it is

important to have a liminal space for ourselves to have a healthier and better day.
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Works Cited

Elmborg, James K. “Libraries as Spaces Between Us Recognizing and Valuing the

Third Space.” Reference & User Services Quarterly,

vol. 50, no. 4, 2011, pp. 338–350., doi:10.5860/rusq.50n4.338.

Khadka, Santosh. “Sporting Safe in the Liminal Sphere: ‘Tactics’ and Facebook.”

IGI Global,

IGI Global, 1 Jan. 1970,

www.igi-global.com/chapter/sporting-safe-in-the-liminal-sphere/96062.

Khadka, Santosh. “Library Vs. Facebook.” 20 Feb. 2020.

Limited, Alamy. “Stock Photo - Facebook Social Networking Website, Terms and

Conditions Page.” Alamy, www.alamy.com/facebook-social-networking-website-terms-and-

conditions-page-image61934498.html.

“Photo D943_103_240, from Dissolve.” Dissolve, dissolve.com/stock-photo/Young-

people-studying-royalty-free-image/101-D943-103-240.

Sarkissian, Christina. “Project Space.” Google, Google, 2020,

docs.google.com/forms/d/1VqSK3i_h_IiwEH4ARcZzStFmiTEWAGEvaRTsUyMK5z8/edit#res

ponses.
Shainky, Robert. “Library Vs. Facebook.” 2020.

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Torossian, Aghavni. “Library Vs. Facebook.” 2020.

“Photo D943_103_240, from Dissolve.” Dissolve, dissolve.com/stock-photo/Young-

people-studying-royalty-free-image/101-D943-103-240.