Meet and greet trend — malls enhance security

WHAT began as a way for influencers to connect with their fans has evolved into a new trend among South African youth — self-organised “meet and greets” or popup social gatherings, sometimes filled with violence, coordinated entirely through social media.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

These informal events, often planned via Instagram stories, TikTok videos, and WhatsApp broadcasts, see hundreds — sometimes thousands — of teenagers and young adults descending on malls, parks, or other public venues to meet people they’ve connected with online.

Originally inspired by content creators who would schedule pre-approved, branded meet-and-greets with their followers, the trend has since shifted into a grassroots movement. Now, everyday users with a few thousand followers — or simply the right kind of digital influence — are pulling crowds simply by announcing a time and place.

For many young people, these events offer something offline that social media alone cannot: human connection.

"The idea is to finally put a face to the username," said a 15-year-old, who attended a meetup at a Cape Town mall in June.

"You chat to someone every day on TikTok or Insta, and then boom - you meet them in real life. That’s exactly what it is."

Organisers and attendees describe the meetups as spontaneous and often unregulated.

No formal permissions are typically obtained for these gatherings, and the events are usually unstructured, relying on the crowd itself to bring energy and direction.

But not all gatherings go smoothly.

Some meetups have resulted in altercations and even chaos.