It's fitting that the Oxford University Press' 2025 word of the year is "rage bait," because I'm convinced that's the only way to describe the trend predictions for next year.
Pantone recently declared "Cloud Dancer," a dull white, its 2026 color of the year, evoking imagery of renter-friendly walls and minimalist design choices at best. A few days later, Pinterest predicted that khaki would make a comeback in fashion, backed up by Sherwin-Williams' own color of the year.
Then a Business Insider story declared cabbage - a cheap vegetable I associate with the Great Depression and dieting - as the newest food trend.
It sure does feel like these are signs of the times, or at least subtle messages from the companies that cultural conservatism is back and that financial insecurity is here to stay. Is this a sign that we're regressing? A sign we're headed for a recession? Proof of the conservative grip on the culture? A symbol of boredom and lack of creativity? Yes to all!
This year ushered in President Donald Trump's second term after a tense election in 2024, and it's abundantly clear that nearly half the country is ready for conservatism's comeback.
You can see inklings of this in what was popular in 2025, from the tradwife lifestyle to the prevalence of the manosphere. Controversial country singer Morgan Wallen was named Billboard's top artist of the year while "The Joe Rogan Experience" continues to trounce every other podcast on the market. Most of the highest-grossing movies this year were sequels or remakes.
And that's not even mentioning what we're seeing online. The artificial intelligence industry is booming, and we're seeing the repercussions on our social media feeds. Instead of sounding the alarms about our dystopian future in the distance where no one can distinguish what's real and what's generated by machines, Time magazine declared that "the architects of AI" are its 2025 Person of the Year.
The internet is so bogged down with AI, in fact, that "slop" is Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year. Highlighting a term for "creepy, zany and demonstrably fake content," as the Associated Press puts it, feels right.
Meanwhile, things aren't getting better for the average person. The economy is not improving, nor are people suddenly able to afford groceries amid our cultural atrophy. All we're receiving is a government that barely functions with a side of content we've already seen before.
Look. It's not that I'm trying to "yuck" anyone's "yum." I understand that some people welcome the rise of AI, love going to see remakes of Disney movies and are perfectly content with the color white.
I'm not even a particular fan of "trends" as a concept - I just think that the signs point to a rise in conservativism.
As we look ahead to 2026, I have a few predictions:
We are no longer pursuing new ideas, nor are we encouraging people to push boundaries or be daring in their artistic endeavors. Everything is simply white, cabbage-flavored slop.
Follow USA Today columnist Sara Pequeño on X, @sara__pequeno.