WEEKLY TRENDS REPORT
Friday 30 January 2026
Pictured: Edited image from iStock
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST
FOR YOUR INFO This week’s dates & microtrends
TikTok trends
“The Australia effect”. Glow up by moving down under.
One year after TikTok’s almost ban, the US version has new parents. We’ll come rescue you if it becomes worse.
ICYMI
Alex Honnold successfully climbed Taipei 101 in a cool 92 minutes. Race you up there.
Trinity Rodman became the highest paid women’s football player with a four-year $1.1 million contract.
Phrase of the week
“The bathroom door scandal”. Hotels are testing relationships by using sliding doors or transparent walls.
Tea of the week
Where were you when Beckxit happened? Every Millennial Brit is begging for the tape of the dance.
Weekly doses of cute
A cow that can use tools, panda twins Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao return home, and the most important life decision
Digi updates
Savvy AI users are building micro-apps for personal use We built one to find us the closest clean public toilet (basically impossible).
Pay for friends? Meta is testing premium versions of its apps.
What we’re loving
The sold out Pokémon X Natural History museum pop-up We’re totally not jealous and wish we booked tickets months ago.
Sinners makes history with 16 Oscar nominations. If MBJ wins, does he get two Oscars?
Established trends
Celibacy = billionaire. Young tech founders are locking in and saying no to love to focus on creating success.
We bring the (peptide) boom! Users are going through loopholes to get their hands on the ‘miracle’ injections.
The future
250 men’s opinions on the dating world. Conclusion: It’s tough out there.
On our radar
J.Cole: The Fall Off - 06 February
The Muppet Show – 04 February
The Super Bowl LX - 08 February
Send Help – 06 February
100 Nights of Hero – 06 February
Insights of the week
Scientists are having to sift through AI generated scientific reports
New music and films are becoming dispensable in the digital abyss.
Rising trends
No more fridge cigarettes. Gen Z are opting for zero sugar sodas over diet sodas.
“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” Local third spaces are attracting young people with rewards programmes and the promise of a local hangout spot
Stat of the week
In the buckets. KFC lost 5.6% of market share since 2019 while Chipotle gained 8.3% market share.
One to bake
The ultimate star baker. Nigella Lawson is set to be the new judge of The Great British Bake Off
TREND TRACKING
How some of the trends we’ve identified have evolved in recent months
Soundtrack of life
Gen Z are soundtracking everything in their lives. From picking the perfect song for an insta carousel, to putting a trendy song over a get-ready-with-me, to creating commute soundtracks. One musician is consistently being used, Aphex Twin, the mysterious electronic musician. His wide body of work can be used for different situations. From the goofiness of QKTHR to core core edits to inspirational edits. The versatility in which his music can fit different subjects lends itself well as Gen Z’s voice/vessel for expressing the hybrid nature of their digital/real life. It also helps that the logo of Aphex Twin is super cool.
Trend: Romanticising the mundane
Dumb TeeVee Books Aloud
Streaming content is ‘allegedly’ being dumbed down for the masses to appeal to the second screeners. A study found that “94% of 25–34-yearolds scroll while watching TV, with 1 in 3 admitting they ‘always’ do it. 91% of those aged between 35 and 44 agreed.” Newer streaming content repeatedly lays out plot points to remind the viewer about what’s going on without them having to press the rewind button. Viewers may want to turn their brain off to watch TV, but when the shows are good, every detail of every second will be dissected by fans online. Fans of Stranger Things were so distraught with the final season’s plot holes that they believed a secret episode was coming. (Spoiler: there wasn’t)
Trend: Is TV dead?
Filming yourself reading aloud is picking up traction, since Kai Cenat, ex-number 1 streamer, posted a series of videos of himself reading aloud, taking the time to search unrecognisable words and practice his articulation. A deeply vulnerable practise that drew ridicule and admiration. If you haven’t heard, we’re in a literacy crisis with kids opting for Mr Beast videos. But with last year’s performative males’ love for feminist literature and this year’s hockey smut, reading is on the frontlines of culture. We predict this year is going to be even bigger for books!
Trend: Bound Together
Image: @kaismind3
Image: @theromeshshow
Image: @semenj4n
Weber Forecast Insight
2026’s cultural reset is bringing back the vibes of 2016 (carefree and chaotic) making it the perfect playground for brands. By tapping into nostalgia and mass rebellion, it is the ideal opportunity to lean into community-driven creativity and join in on the weirdness the internet has to offer.
This week’s long read
2026: THE YEAR OF THE RESET
Join the rebellion against AI slop!
We’re just one month into 2026 and it’s clear we have pressed the factory reset button. With it, the era of Pinterest-perfect aesthetics and pre-pandemic memes has triumphantly returned. Welcome back, 2016!
Playing in to millennial optimism, Gen Z and millennials alike are romanticising 2016 through rose-tinted glasses as the ‘the last good year’. Don’t believe us? Earlier this month, TikTok searches for “2016” surged by 452%. It’s no surprise since 2016 was the year to be carefree “with less performative social content” as defined by social strategist and creator, Joel Marlinarson. Blame it on the recession or political fatigue but it appears we’re done keeping up with trends.
So, how did we get here? The phrase “2026 is the new 2016” traces back to The Great Meme Reset first mentioned by TikToker @joeb0909. Fuelled by the nostalgia for a ‘simpler internet and a rebellion of the March Meme Drought, memes are getting
their own reboot, and honestly? It’s about time. Where AI shapes a lot of the content we mindlessly scroll (think Italian Brainrot), there’s a growing demand for a digital experience that is less algorithm-driven and more humade’. Hence the reemergence of Vine and Harambe memes. It’s giving comfort through familiarity for Gen Z and millennials who grew up online and can recognise recycled memes instantly.
As a whole, we are moving from “how do I go viral?” to “how do I feel?” and reconnecting with humour that hits deeper than likes. Of course, some have pointed out the irony in this cultural reset and suggested it’s already becoming a meme itself. How meta. That being said, as the year unfolds, the optimists amongst us are celebrating the movement as an opportunity for chaos, creativity and community-driven weirdness.
And so, here is to 2026 and embracing the cultural reset. The internet’s about to get weird again – make sure you are in on the joke!
Image: @coldestjoel Image: @whatstrending
Image: @joebro909
Image: The New York Times
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Pictured: iStock