February 2018

12 opinions February 2, 2018
W
Nothing seems more like two perfectly
connected puzzle pieces than teenagers
at a mall, notched together in
social and economic unity. From
movies, like the classic “Mean Girls” to what you
see on any visit to Woodfield, teenagers for years
have been associated with spending their days at
the mall hanging out with friends while shopping,
eating, or watching a movie.
However, the weekends of shopping sprees
and free samples are coming to stop. According
to CNN, statistics show that 20% to 25% of U.S.
malls will be closing down in the next five years.
The number of malls has slowly been declining in
recent years, but the amount predicted to close
down in 2018 is the highest it has ever been.
The age of technology appears to be a leading
reason why physical stores are plummeting
while online stores are gaining more clicks every
day. The trend of shopping online is more popular
than ever and it is showing no signs of failing any
time soon.
Furthermore, not only are smaller businesses
moving out of their local malls, but major stores
with large brands are shutting down as well. Department
stores such as Sears, JCPenney, Macy’s
and clothing and accessory stores such as Michael
Kors have closed storefronts in not tens, but in
hundreds. The collapse of physical stores have
cost thousands of employees of these former stores
their jobs. Everything a mall stood for and has offered
is being torn down before our very eyes.
Although at first glance it may seem that the
purpose of a mall is
just for shopping,
malls have been a
part of teenage culture
for decades.
Malls still provide a
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO
SAID THEY VISIT A MALL
SEVERAL TIMES
A MONTH*
comfortable, accessible
environment for
socializing in person,
which is still something
that’s important
to maintain. No one
has to convince their
parents it’s ok to have friends over, and no
one has to worry that their parents will be
hovering the whole time. Malls provide a
bit of freedom it’s hard to find elsewhere
in the suburbs. Though the statistics are
showing nothing but decline in the number
of malls, there’s still hope for the more
major, popular, and stable malls. Stronger
malls aren’t giving up just yet and are still
constantly renovating their buildings to
bring in more shoppers for a better experience.
Adjustments are being made
to adapt to the competition of technology and
ideas are being put into play to continue the attraction
of people towards their local mall. Attractions
such as bowling alleys, movie theaters, and
new experiences for people to try are being built
35
BY ALEXANDRA MALEWICZ
columnist
in order to emphasize the social
environment malls provide. Additionally,
some malls are even
establishing grocery stores into
their building so that necessary
tasks can bring in customers.
Malls are trying to go beyond
the limit of just shopping and
give people more reasons to
come through their doors.
Although many malls
will still close down due to a
lack of not keeping up with
the times, there are still some
malls who may just have
enough innovation and creativity
left to draw in a new
generation of mall-goers.
Let’s hope so, or we may be
on the verge of being the
last generation to experience
mall-roaming freedom.
THE CHANGING
FACE OF
DATING
BY SARAH LANE
columnist
RANDHURST VILLAGE: BEAME ARCHITECTURAL PARTNERSHIP, AMC, WOODFIELD MALL: SIMON PROPERTIES, GOLF MILL
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we see
how thoroughly we’ve internalized the message
that we must have someone -- anyone --
to celebrate with. And with the rise of digital
media to solve every problem and meet every need, people are
experimenting with drastically different ways
to find that “true love.”
Finding someone face-to-face has now
33%
OF STUDENTS SAID
THEY WOULD
CONSIDER GOING
ON A BLIND DATE*
become somewhat of a rarity, whether its a
blind date your friend set up or if you finally
got the nerve to talk to the cute person sitting
next to you. Now, more often then not,
the “how we met” stories all revolve around
the internet. Online dating sites and apps,
and even Instagram and Snapchat, have
made it as easy as the swipe of a finger to meet the 100% “perfect
person” for you, even if that means you may go weeks or
even months talking to them without ever meeting in real life
or knowing if they are, in fact, real.
Of course there are some downfalls to this way of connecting.
The Internet has become a haven for criminals and pedophiles
and even just plain old immoral, bored jerks to target
their unsuspecting victims, either by catfishing or just withholding
the key information needed to understand they’re not
really who they say they are. But everyone still seems to think
that the risk is worth it if they actually can find their “soulmate”
whom they probably would have never even known existed
without the help of their iPhone or computer.
But, of course, not every social media site should be grouped
together. Many actually do help improve communication
and make it easier to meet new people
they would have never talked to because they aren’t
involved in the same activities as them or go to
a completely different school, especially for high
schoolers who are still limited with where they
can go to meet new people. Also with apps such
as Instagram and Snapchat it is harder for online
predators to target teenagers because of the ability
to set your account on private and block others
who make you uncomfortable. Having pictures be the main
purpose of these social media apps increasingly helps weed out
the predators because the tech savvy youth of today will notice
unusual pattern of posting, like never posting pictures of themselves
or posting pictures that are more likely than not fake or
Photoshopped.
However, this shouldn’t cause you to hide your inner hopeless
romantic because with every bad date or interaction there
may be numerous good ones that make all your efforts worth it.
*ACCORDING TO WESTERNER SURVEY OF 115 STUDENTS