Digital platforms are the new public spaces, functioning as modern versions of public houses; however, they lack many of the foundational principles that defined public houses in twentieth-century America and elsewhere in the world. Public houses embodied freedom of entry, speech, and social presence-people could sit, read, eat, drink, and converse freely.

Entry was open to anyone who could afford even a minimal expense. Now, such public houses can be seen in the movies, only where people used to enter freely, gossiped, drank and enjoyed public gatherings. These spaces functioned as individual as well as collective trend builders by serving as the cultural exhibitions of one’s land and people, and ultimately homogenising culture and opinion as well. But all this happened with the opinion of the people without any intervention of the powerful authority. The authority intervened only in case of any misdoing at the public house. Another important model of public space existed in rural societies, particularly in village centres, where people gathered around a hubble-bubble, exchanged gossip, shared opinions, discussed social issues, and even resolved village disputes. In such rural public spaces, many friendships were formed by dissolving the enmities in an environment of love and fraternity. Consequently, these characteristics and the style of functioning of such public spaces, in the towns and villages, made........

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