Every generation has its time in the spotlight, and that beam is a little more like a microscope for Gen Z at South by Southwest this year. As a card carrying Zoomer, I set out to be both specimen and observer at two of the many panels dissecting behavioral trends among us post-millennials – and left tentatively hopeful.
Mall Culture Returns for a New Generation of Hot Topic Fans
I kicked off South by Southwest 2026 with a canon festival event: discovering that a panel is not what you thought it would be. I, come to find out, am part of an older marketing demographic that knows and loves the emo mall staple Hot Topic but is completely unaware of their recent straight-to-TikTok scripted series, Mall Rats. With a cast of internet creators from across the country, the show combines sponsored content with short-form entertainment to optimize algorithmic play and reach younger audiences unfamiliar with the retailer’s edgy reputation and impossibly vast selection of graphic T-shirts.
Their approach is working, says Hot Topic’s Social Media Director Katherine Miller and fellow panelist Dan Salkey, the founder of entertainment advertising agency Small World. Consumer data polls show that not only are Gen Z shoppers now more aware of the fandom-centered retailer, they’re more likely to visit in person. Post-pandemic, Miller speculated, young adults are craving in-person shopping experiences. The data agrees. A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that 62% of shoppers aged 18 to 24 made in-store purchases. I needn’t worry about my oblivion in the face of internet culture, because, according to Miller and crew: “Mall culture is back.”
Community Is the Future for Gen Z, Kantar Reports
Word on the street is that Gen Z is financially screwed. If the shoulder-to-shoulder conference room seating was any indication, the news has been received and people are eager to find answers.
As a member of the much-discussed generation, it was begrudgingly validating to have my dismal fiscal prospects calmly, somewhat perkily, laid out by Andrew Yohanan, an insights and strategy partner with consumer reporting firm Kantar. A refreshingly affable and youthful voice on the subject, the Gen Z-er himself revealed a resourceful path forward that, admittedly, already resonated with my experience: the village.
Friend-preneurship, co-buying homes with friends and family, and transparent financial discussions were the trends he identified, pointing to a general movement toward pooling resources and sharing costs. Though the terms felt fresh, the ideas were familiar. Discussing wages and budgets openly has become a far more casual conversation for this generation, and the vulnerability may make going in on financial risks or communal equity easier to imagine – especially when striking out on your own seems exponentially more perilous. It may not be glamorous, but the developing Gen Z toolbox Yohanan described feels practical and politically salient.
