The List

This is my definitive list of what trends are in and out for 2026. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, as inspired by The List and recently SNL.

OUT: algorithmic feeds
IN: homemade curated feeds

OUT: reels
IN: long form media

OUT: dropping the whole season
IN: weekly episode releases

OUT: streaming
IN: physical media, like a dvd or an iPod

OUT: NYT games
IN: LinkedIn games

OUT: Partiful + Canva
IN: group chat + MS Paint

OUT: spellcheck
IN: realizing typos mean a human probably wrote it

OUT: accepting cookies
IN: going outside

OUT: texts
IN: paper mail .

OUT: “dear ___,”
IN: “hey ___,”

OUT: “talk soon”
IN: “love you”

OUT: scheduling a catch up
IN: calling repeatedly at random

OUT: speaking
IN: pregnant pause

OUT: caring about cringe
IN: cringe

OUT: nonchalance
IN: crying in public

OUT: smoldering
IN: smiling

OUT: looking away
IN: staring

OUT: blurred backgrounds
IN: just not caring about whatever is back there

OUT: generation generalizations
IN: intergenerational friendship

OUT: minimalism
IN: coziness

OUT: speed
IN: quality

OUT: sweeping changes
IN: small pivots

OUT: chores on weekends
IN: cleaning as you go

OUT: trying to carry everything in one trip
IN: just leaving things in the car

OUT: optimizing travel
IN: enjoying transit

OUT: DoorDash / Uber Eats
IN: calling restaurant directly

OUT: gag gifts
IN: consumables

OUT: passive income
IN: cash

OUT: birthday gifts
IN: random gifts

OUT: thrifting
IN: buy nothing groups

OUT: neutral tones
IN: colors!!

OUT: crisp photos
IN: film stock and motion blur

OUT: spicy
IN: savory

OUT: sourdough
IN: focaccia

OUT: calorie counting
IN: chewing 33 times

OUT: protein
IN: sitting down to eat

OUT: pee
IN: water

OUT: “boil the ocean”
IN: “doing too much”

OUT: —
IN: --