Here at this website, my colleagues and I follow our beats closely, from wearable tech and laptops to influencer culture and federal policy. Last year, I asked a bunch of staff at The Verge to pretend to be trend forecasters for a lighthearted collection of what’s hot and what’s not. Some of the predictions really held up: many would say the US Supreme Court continues to be out, congestion pricing in New York is decidedly in despite attempts to kill it, and cats are, as ever, a bit of both.
Predicting future trends — and having a pulse on what’s happening now — is part art, part science, and, if we’re being honest, part wish fulfillment. Here’s how we see the tides turning.
Mia Sato, features writer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Community fridges | Smart fridges |
| The Kewpie mayonnaise baby | Labubu |
| Hope for the future | Nostalgia for the past |
| Rich people being tacky | Rich people doing “quiet luxury” |
Adi Robertson, tech & policy editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Bootleg flu vaccines | Bootleg ivermectin |
| Webrings | Substack |
| Relentless mockery of billionaires | A functioning regulatory state |
WIRED |
TIRED |
EXPIRED |
|---|---|---|
| Wired | The Washington Post | Taboola |
Jess Weatherbed, news writer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| X | |
| Retro-inspired EVs | Trucks with hideous grills |
| AI girlfriends / boyfriends (regrettably) | Dating apps |
| Hot pink / violet | Green |
Antonio Di Benedetto, laptop reviewer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| AI slop | SEO slop |
| LCDs | OLED (thanks, Nintendo) |
| Physical digital media | Physical media |
| Windows Vista | Flat, colorful design |
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Tariffs | Tariffs |
| Camera bars | Camera bumps |
| Monorails | Walking |
Tristan Cooper, senior social media manager
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Fancams of old movies | Trailers for new movies |
| Proximity chat games | Extraction shooters |
| Wearing goofy neck fans and large sweatbands in public | Shame |
| Subscribing to The Verge | Not subscribing to The Verge and making me cry on my birthday |
Victoria Song, senior cursed tech reviewer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Salmon sperm serums | Snail mucin serums |
| Raw milk | Pasteurization |
| Skinny phones | Big phones |
| Using AI as a therapist | Talking to yourself in the mirror (sike, it’s the same thing) |
Andru Marino, senior audio / video producer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Video “shows” | Video podcasts |
| DV cam video | AI video |
| Movie theater subscriptions | Streaming subscriptions |
| Landlines | Talking to ChatGPT |
Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| UX changes just for the hell of it | UX changes that actually improve usability |
| Blocking extremists on social networks | Engaging with extremists on social networks |
| Owned movies on DVDs | “Owned” movies disappearing on streaming services |
| “We do not care” | Age anxiety |
Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Dumbing your smartphone | Buying a dumbphone |
| The em dash as ChatGPT shibboleth | The em dash — which you will never take from me — as editor shibboleth |
| Underthinking | Overthinking |
| Overthinking | Underthinking |
Cath Virginia, senior designer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Hopemaxxing | Doompilling |
| Do Not Disturb | Notifications |
| Addison | Rae |
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Streaming actually becoming cable | Saying streaming is becoming cable |
| “You sound like ChatGPT” | “You sound like a robot” |
| Stainless steel | Nonstick cookware |
| Sticking with what you have | Upgrading your GPU |
Kevin Nguyen, deputy editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Pandan | Matcha |
| Not responding to emails | OOO auto-replies |
| Neon | A24 |
| Democratic socialists | Democrats |
Andrew Webster, senior entertainment editor / Death Stranding correspondent
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Dollman | Deadman |
| Tar pits | Walking |
| Ghost bullets | Pee grenades |
| Tomorrow | Yesterday |
Allison Johnson, smartphone reviewer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Trifolds | Bifolds |
| Shirtless Brad Pitt wearing Airpods Max in an ice bath | Apple Intelligence |
| “Designed with American values in mind” | “Made in America” |
| How do you do, fellow kids? | Material You |
Liz Lopatto, senior writer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Outdoors | Indoors |
| Hallucinogens | AI hallucinations |
| Samizdat | |
| Copyright | Fair use |
Tina Nguyen, senior reporter
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Associating Studio Ghibli with garbage AI slop | Associating Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki’s singular artistic expression |
| Donald Trump hating Elon Musk | Donald Trump liking Elon Musk |
| Celebrities starting podcasts | Celebrities launching lifestyle brands |
Sheena Vasani, commerce writer
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Using ChatGPT to enhance therapy | Using ChatGPT to replace therapy |
| Los Angeles | ICE |
| Do Not Disturb | Doomscrolling |
| Soft girl summer | Hot girl summer |
Sarah Jeong, features editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Swiss bank accounts | Crypto |
| Gatherings of celibate men in fabulous dresses | Gatherings of billionaire heterosexuals in fabulous dresses |
| The Hague | Prison abolition |
Owen Grove, video director
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Your right foot | Your right foot |
| AI buttons added to every app | Fixing the features of those apps |
| Buying Amazon mystery return pallets | Temu |
| Scalping Pokémon cards | Enjoying Pokémon |
Cameron Faulkner, commerce editor
IN |
OUT |
|---|---|
| Liquid Ass | Liquid Glass |
| Isochronous webcams | Bulk webcams |
| Third-party camera apps | Default camera apps |
