Small Words

This New Year, I’m jumping on the New York Times’ futurist trend, reading the tea leaves, and publishing ten predictions for how 2026 will go down. Don’t take any of this too seriously, y’all, but I think I’m probably 100% right! If you happen to be a reader from the future, let me know how I did!

Technology:

1. AI is not going away. It may seem like it’s everywhere, but so are organic eggs. In the next few years, AI speculators will realize the limitations of throwing money at “AI” products. Like organic eggs, AI tools will keep their moniker, but users will cease to see them as novel. The real losers: the environment and all-in AI investors.

Music:

2. 90’s club culture had a comeback in 2025, and musical artists and their producers aren’t done exploring the genre. 2026 will be the year of the club anthem. Pop singers and indie artists alike will be working booming bass and synthetic beats into their chart-topping singles. So, don’t be surprised if the algorithm gets confused and slips some heck-no techno on your afrobeats playlist this year!

Social Media:

3. It’s clear by now that television is from an era gone. With social media becoming the prime source of entertainment for many Americans, and its younger users growing out of their childhood media sensibilities, we will see platforms scramble to incentivize creators for more sophisticated content. That means, longer videos, higher quality content, and maybe even a raise for the biggest hitters on your feed. However, creators beware! Platforms won’t choose to pay for your labor if they can get it for free.

4. For years, social media platforms like Meta have been charging fees to serve content. We will continue to see companies control when content is served based on paid subscriptions and how often users engage on their platforms. While some creators may receive better compensation for their work. Overall, social media users will pay more to use their favorite platforms in the ways they enjoy, and companies will have a greater say in the content they see.

Information:

5. 2025 was a standout for misinformation in the US. With AI driving Google searches and filling cyberspace with slop, not to mention the deliberate disinformation that’s skyrocketed on trusted sites this year, it’s no wonder people are beginning to lose faith in information. I predict in 2026, the average internet user will say “enough” and stop believing everything that crosses their screens. Young people have been honing this skill for more than a decade, and it’s about time we all took their example.  Downside: Where do we get our information now?

Luckily, I have a prediction for that too!

6. While distrust of information is brewing online, Barnes & Noble has been opening new brick-and-mortar stores across the country. 2026 will usher in renewed zeal for print resources and a resurgence of the earnest pursuit of credible information sources. Books are back, baby!

The Economy:

7. The economy will prove to be a major source of concern for Americans in the upcoming year. While pricing and consumer purchasing behavior were volatile in 2025, in the upcoming year, we will see some direction emerge from the chaos, for better or worse. 

Marketing:

8. Men’s convenience products, which have previously been marketed as innovative, will rebrand as useful, practical, and future-forward. Goodbye tech shampoo, hello performance foam!

9. In the upcoming years, fashion will have to reconcile with the middle-class buyer or fail. Brands will choose between charging higher prices and cutting production costs. In 2026, designers and large retailers will have to reckon with poor sales as their core consumers turn to fast-fashion brands, vintage, and thrift. Fashion needs those working-girl dollars. If they price these consumers out of the market, they will have to scramble to reinvent their business models or face possible existential consequences.

Culture Wars:

10. Speaking of clothing. The current trend for trousers is giving me whiffs of women’s lib. Throughout history, trousers were a signal that women mean business (especially in business! – and politics!). Trousers understate the figure and focus on fine fabrics, opulent earthy hues, and meticulous tailoring. In short, trousers look rich, not pretty. A style goal that’s traditionally associated with men more than women. In the past, when women reflected male sartorial values, there was backlash. So, in 2026, expect more talk of dress codes and proper dress, accompanied by defensiveness in online “debates”.

Happy New Year to all, and have a great 2026!