We live in a strange time. As the new year starts, can we predict the significant cultural events we are about to experience? What is staying from 2025, and what is on its way out? Students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana are forming their predictions on the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of music, fashion and social trends in the coming year.
As 2024 ended, the trend of creating lists of ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ for 2025 began. Many people gave their thoughts on what culture would look like in the new year. This opportunity for prediction and reflection resurfaced with the end of 2025. According to The Guardian, the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ trend is “largely subjective, reflecting individual opinions rather than any kind of objective data. They seem to blend personal preferences with humorous observations.”
2025 was an exciting year for music. Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show kicked off the year with a huge spectacle that contained sharp social commentary. Artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Katseye continued the trend of upbeat “girl pop” from 2024, uplifting people’s spirits.
People also became more conscious of how they consume music last year. Many people are choosing to physically own their music, rather than exclusively streaming it online. CDs, vinyls and even cassette tapes became more widespread. According to Google Trends, searches for “physical media” rose throughout 2025 as people became more curious about this medium that was once considered obsolete.
It is possible that in 2026, physical media might become even more ‘in.’ Many people may find themselves wanting to go old school, since older technology has no annoying ads or forced AI integration.
We may also see more explicitly political popular music. In my opinion, our divisive social and political atmosphere will force many public figures to make bold political statements. In general, people are becoming frustrated with slop, which was Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2025. Shallowness is ‘out,’ and people want more substance in popular culture.
Zane Bush, a junior business administration major, thinks the new year needs more interesting music. “Take out Ice Spice,” he said. “Take out Big Guy from ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.’ I don’t personally like it.”
The popular films of 2025 may indicate an interesting trend. The highest-grossing movies in 2025 included “Superman,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Wicked: For Good,” according to Box Office Mojo. These films in particular were received well by Generation Z一those born from 1997 to 2012, according to Pew Research Center一who are coming into adulthood and becoming their own consumer market.
Hollywood has a new demographic to cater to with nostalgic reboots and adaptations. Nothing demonstrates this more than “A Minecraft Movie,” which brought a beloved video game from Gen Z childhood to the big screen.
It would seem that the worries of the modern world are ‘out’ and nostalgia is ‘in.’ Many people are yearning to return to more comfortable, familiar times. Even seemingly silly fads from our childhood are appealing again. For example, Bush claims we should “bring back flossing.”
Riley Hopper, a junior music business major, agrees. “Generally, anything from between 2000 and 2010 is coming back. Even in clothes,” Hopper said.
2025 saw a return of fashion aesthetics from previous eras, specifically the 90s and 2000s. New clothes were manufactured with these styles in mind, but lots of people were more interested in the real thing. According to Vogue, “one of the most popular queries of 2025 was for vintage clothing items. It seems consumers now want the real vintage thing versus more inspired takes.” In 2026, we might continue to reimagine old clothes into new fashion statements.
Others believe that there is no clear answer to what is ‘out’ and ‘in’ this year. In the age of the internet, there are infinite things to be exposed to. What people consider popular is extremely biased due to the online circles they are in.
“There’s a lot going on at the same time, and people are redoing the same things over and over. I don’t know what to predict. Everything is happening at the same time all the time on the internet,” Jasmine Shadd, a freshman music education major, said.
Has the internet divided our experiences? Is culture really shifting to the past? How will our lifestyles change? Time will tell what will emerge as trends in the new year.
