WEEKLY TRENDS REPORT Friday 12 December 2025
Pictured: Collage assets from iStock
Difficult to action
Micro trend
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST Macro trend
The (down)under 16’s social media ban Word on the street: 2025 made us angry Millennial optimism
Easy to action
Icon Glossary
Bad texter syndrome Let’s get hitched
The very important trend
Trending
News you should know
On the up
Cancelled
It’s gonna be big
That’s the tea
Sustainability
Consumer habit
TikTok trend
Be quick
FOR This week’s YOUR dates & INFO microtrends TikTok trends
Digi updates
Find the cutest person you know (us) and do the ‘not cute anymore’ trend.
Round-up of yearly reports: Google, Pantone, Grindr, Pinterest, Pornhub and Lyst.
It’s very important that you read the Weber Forecast every Friday! The very important trend.
The most in-demand job right now? The company TikTok influencer. That or the weiner-mobile driver.
ICYMI
What we’re loving
IShowSpeed was crowned Streamer of the Year.
The World Cup draw led to some interesting groups. When Scotland eventually win, we’re rebranding to blue and white.
Lebron James ended his 18-year double digit scoring streak after a beautiful game winning pass. LeTeamplayer.
Phrase of the week “Is Gen X actually the greatest generation?” NYT examines the OG culture creators. Don’t let it get to your head.
Tea of the week The first (down)under 16’s social media ban is now in effect for Australian children. We would literally explode so we get their distress.
The South Korean cinema appealing to 70-year-olds. Sitting amongst some retirees to watch Casablanca sounds like an ideal Monday.
On our radar 21 Savage: What Happened To The Streets – 12 December Fallout S2 – 17 December Avatar: Fire and Ash – 19 December Marty Supreme – 26 December
Insights of the week How easy it is to fall down the rabbit hole to buy things you don’t need. Lower-income families spent less this Black Friday compared to high-income families. The inverse of last year.
Weekly dose of cute The hung-over racoon, catmas tree and the family deer.
Rising trends Why does everyone think they have been infected by stomach worms? 654,000 hard-working Americans will be future millionaires because of their 401(k).
The future
Image: @twice_tiktok_official
The RAM price hike is going to make every piece of tech much more expensive. Thanks AI…
Established trends
Stat of the week
Looksmaxxers are using the PSL scale to rate one another. If a 16-year-old called us a 4.25, we would understand them but we would still cry.
The youth demand V-bucks or Robux. 43% of kids are wishing for in-game currency for their Christmas.
The SWAG gap is creating a new way to judge new relationships. Match our vibe or get out!
Image: @abrameng
One to watch A Mr Men and Little Miss film is in the works. It better not be live action!
Image: @apnews
TREND TRACKING How some of the trends we’ve identified have evolved in recent months
Millennial optimism
Bad texter syndrome
Let’s get hitched
Image: @retro.avocado
Image: @Pieces.Chess.Club
Image: @Zendaya / @Zendaya_updated
Anyone else’s feed filled with Gen Z yearning for the “whimsy, carefree” 2010s era? Millennials are sharing what it was like growing up in a certain place at a certain time, and Gen Z – who came of age in crisis – feel shortchanged. As one journalist said; “These were the years when we genuinely believed that changing the world was just one Pinterest quote, infinity scarf, or Bath & Body Works sanitizer away.” Not that it was all roses for Millennials, as some have been quick to point out, but there was a greater sense of hopefulness. Some Millennials are flummoxed that they’re even old enough to have their youths romanticised by younger generations – a growing phenomenon known as Millennial Age Dysmorphia. Age is just a number people!
Do you self-identify as a bad texter? You’re not alone – we’re not supposed to be this contactable! A Cosmo reader survey found that 88% feel the burden of ‘always on’ communication. This aligns with the recent conversation around ‘the great friendship flattening’ – the illusion of being close to someone because you text regularly. The truth is, it cannot compete with real-life contact.
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya’s “wedding invite” has gone viral and left fans “utterly confused”. The Euphoria star shared an Instagram photo of herself with Robert sporting a flashy engagement ring. It’s part of a clever promo strategy (A24 has done it again!) for their upcoming film, The Drama, and lands alongside a printed engagement announcement in the Boston Globe. It comes at a time when Gen Z are thinking of marriage more positively than their older peers, embracing an institution seen by some as outdated. Although that’s not to say they’re not putting their own stamp on it – Pinterest Predicts reported a 55% rise in ”ice blue wedding dress” searches.
Trend: 2010s supremacy
Trend: Pre-internet times
Reclaiming your energy is becoming more popular, whether it’s deleting apps, a phone-free bedroom or committing to in-person catchups. On that note, Dazed reported that Pieces Chess Club has transformed chess into a nightlife phenomenon, drawing packed crowds and expanding across Europe as an analog antidote to doomscrolling.
Trend: Announcements gone wild
This week’s long read
Image: The Conversation
Image: @NewYorker
WORD ON THE STREET: 2025 MADE US ANGRY
How this year’s viral lingo speaks volumes
Image: @showgirlreacts Image: @meshtimes
If “goblin mode,” “rizz,” and “brain rot” haven’t defined the last few years for you, then where have you been? The results are in, and the dictionaries have spoken. 2025’s Words of the Year are as chaotic and reflective as the times we’re living through.
Weber Forecast Insight Words of the Year like “rage bait” and “parasocial” highlight the emotional and cultural forces driving engagement. To resonate, brands must tap into these touchpoints authentically, balancing relatability while being aware of the darker side of the “attention economy”. Embrace humour, simplicity, and cultural relevance to cut through noise and foster connection.
Oxford crowned “rage bait” (meaning content crafted to provoke anger) while Cambridge chose ”parasocial” – a nod to one-sided relationships forged online and fan’s fascinations with celebrities (Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce proposal, anyone?). Collins spotlighted “vibe coding”, AI’s ability to write code from natural language. And for the meme-lovers, Dictionary.com gave us “67”, Gen Alpha brain rot slang that’s funny precisely because it means nothing. What makes these words go viral in the first place? They encapsulate emotional touchpoints and cultural trends. Think rage bait: it’s the villain of doomscrolling,
designed to hijack our emotions, leaving us irate. Even Oxford Languages president, Casper Grathwohl acknowledges rage bait reflects the “dark side of the attention economy”. A far cry from simpler times of ”w00t”, “rizz” or even “face with tears of joy” emoji ( ), today’s trending words mirror a world that’s angrier, more hyperconnected, and susceptible to manipulation. Yet, they also reveal our ability to laugh amidst the chaos. “67” may be meaningless and reflects overconsumption of social media, but it serves as a reminder that finding humour in life’s little absurdities is a trend that never goes out of style.
😂
As language evolves with us, the real question remains: are we shaping the words or are the words shaping us?
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