“Everything Is Digitalised”: Afrikaans Man in America Shows How Online Shopping Affected Malls
- Louw Breytenbach, an Afrikaans man living in America, shared footage of an empty shopping mall in Florida
- He stated that due to many products and services being digitalised and people opting for online shopping, the physical structures were affected
- Social media commentators rushed to share how frightening the mall looked with minimal people inside
Source: UGC
An Afrikaans man living in the United States showcased how shopping for goods and services online affected shopping centres. Internet users were shocked to see the inside of the building, while others shared what it was like going to the mall in other countries.
Communications and lifestyle coach Louw Breytenbach, who lives in Florida with his American husband, took to his TikTok account on 24 August, 2025 to show how empty the mall he visited was.
Louw, who was there on a Saturday afternoon at lunchtime, said:
"When I tell my parents how much we use online shopping, they don't really understand it. Everything is digitalised."
Empty mall stuns South Africans
A few people on the internet commented on how scary it was to see the mall so empty, while other social media users spoke about their shopping experiences in other parts of the world.
Source: Getty Images
@fabflabguy told Louw and the public:
"I see more and more malls closing and being abandoned."
After hearing that people preferred online shopping, @lenel_bell suggested in the comments:
"Maybe Amazon should buy the buildings and turn them into an 'Amazon Hub.' Revive some human interaction."
@lizmarijansenvanv pointed out to the online crowd:
"Jinne. It seems more like the middle of the night than the middle of the day. Quite sad for the businesses that don't sell online."
@hanlielr wrote in the comment section:
"I currently live in Dubai, UAE! You can order everything online here, and it's by your door within a few hours or the next day. The malls are booming on weekends. People line up for miles to get into a mall. I don't understand it, I'm not a mall person, but malls are so popular here."
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@die_hele_kaykay_ added under the post:
"Quite scary, actually."
Louw replied to the TikTok user:
"Definitely, and they all look like this. This is probably the third or fourth one I found that was empty."
Take a look at the TikTok video below:
3 Other stories about South Africans in the US
- In another article, Briefly News reported that a humorous Afrikaner H-2A farm worker shared that he was ready to return to South Africa after a TikTok user mistook him for a refugee.
- A local woman working in the United States shared her culture shocks since arriving in the country. One of the things she told people was that home remedies were necessary because of how expensive healthcare is.
- A Zulu man who found employment in America shared a candid TikTok video dispelling myths about safety and offering crucial advice about living legally and respectfully. Social media users thanked him for his insights.
Source: Briefly News
