In the 90’s, the mall was the biggest spot to hangout amongst all sorts of teens alike. As time has gone on, ‘the hotspot’ that the mall once was has become an overpriced abundance of commercial stores. 

In the 90’s and 2000’s, the mall was the one place teens could go to hang out. Prices were reasonable and the locations were local. Malls were such a hotspot because there were so many stores at one place, and it just made sense for people to take advantage of the convenience of malls. When the mall was at its peak, the stores offered brand name products, but at much lower prices than they are now. While inflation is largely to blame for this, another cause for the rise in prices is the popularity of online shopping. Brick and mortar stores have been on the decline– many big brands even converting completely to online websites. The mall was a big place because the concept of shopping in person with friends was so appealing, however, now that online shopping is such a big trend, less and less people began going to the mall. 

The mall is a place where many kinds of people can get together, even teens with vastly different interests, because the mall has it all. The mall was once not just a money grab, but a communal place with an understood acceptance. No matter who you were, you were welcome with your friends. The community and culture that surrounded the mall has ceased to exist. This isn’t just because the mall itself is less of a popular spot to hang out, but because it doesn’t hold the community that welcomes every person. Socializing has changed quite a bit as social media has become the most popular way among high schoolers to interact. Before the globalization of social media, physical interaction was at its peak and malls were the most accessible, and cheap, spot to interact in public. However, with social media, teens’ ideas of socializing have changed, and it’s caused more people to have higher expectations on physical hangouts. 

Another big reason why malls are less popular is because of safety. Locally, there have been many more accounts of kidnappings, shootings, and things of that nature. All of which have one place in common: malls. The tragedies that occur because of these events have caused parents to not allow their teens to go to the mall with their friends less and less. These dangerous events have only been on the rise, and many teens have been told by their parents it’s not safe. The notion that malls aren’t safe makes teens make the decision for themselves that it is not worth it to visit anymore. 

Malls have only been on the downside of popularity for years, and the question begs: is this a positive or negative change? Many teens don’t even consider the mall for a hangout spot, so for many it hasn’t made much of an impact in their lives. Many millennials recall the fun times malls offered, and now the fact simply is that teens have found their own ‘hotspots’ to call their own.