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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Bootleg flu vaccines |
Bootleg ivermectin |
| Webrings |
Substack |
| Relentless mockery of billionaires |
A functioning regulatory state |
WIRED
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TIRED
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EXPIRED
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| Wired |
The Washington Post |
Taboola |
Jess Weatherbed, news writer
IN
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OUT
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| Twitter |
X |
| Retro-inspired EVs |
Trucks with hideous grills |
| AI girlfriends / boyfriends (regrettably) |
Dating apps |
| Hot pink / violet |
Green |
Antonio Di Benedetto, laptop reviewer
IN
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OUT
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| AI slop |
SEO slop |
| LCDs |
OLED (thanks, Nintendo) |
| Physical digital media |
Physical media |
| Windows Vista |
Flat, colorful design |
IN
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OUT
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| Tariffs |
Tariffs |
| Camera bars |
Camera bumps |
| Monorails |
Walking |
Tristan Cooper, senior social media manager
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Video “shows” |
Video podcasts |
| DV cam video |
AI video |
| Movie theater subscriptions |
Streaming subscriptions |
| Landlines |
Talking to ChatGPT |
Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor
IN
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Hopemaxxing |
Doompilling |
| Do Not Disturb |
Notifications |
| Addison |
Rae |
IN
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Pandan |
Matcha |
| Not responding to emails |
OOO auto-replies |
| Neon |
A24 |
| Democratic socialists |
Democrats |
Andrew Webster, senior entertainment editor / Death Stranding correspondent
IN
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OUT
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| Dollman |
Deadman |
| Tar pits |
Walking |
| Ghost bullets |
Pee grenades |
| Tomorrow |
Yesterday |
Allison Johnson, smartphone reviewer
IN
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Outdoors |
Indoors |
| Hallucinogens |
AI hallucinations |
| Samizdat |
Google |
| Copyright |
Fair use |
Tina Nguyen, senior reporter
IN
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| 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
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OUT
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| Liquid Ass |
Liquid Glass |
| Isochronous webcams |
Bulk webcams |
| Third-party camera apps |
Default camera apps |
