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Hey pals. Welcome to our first annual cultural predictions episode. To kick off 2026, we asked some of our favorite culture critics, media theorists, filmmakers, technologists, journalists, fashion bloggers and more to send us a voice note with their best guess about where the zeitgeist will take us this year. To our surprise and delight, 34 people got back to us with their predictions. Plus, Andrea predicts the return of club culture (think: film clubs and salons, not dance parties) in response to attention economy fatigue, and Emilie goes long on “elite midcult” in music and movies as a culture-industry counter-reaction to poptimism.
Topics range from writer and podcaster Steven Phillips-Horst talking the end of bright white lighting and a return to warmer, yellower hues, to New York Mag tech columnist John Herrman talking about how prediction markets are coming for politics and political media, to New Models co-host Carly Busta talking about the rise of a neo-oral culture. You’ll find the full list of contributors (with time stamps) below. Sound design and music by Andrea.
Arts & culture (10:30)
Drew Millardon the return of the buzzband
Sam Valenti on no longer complaining that nobody is making good music and listening to music instead
Biz Sherberton the rise of the beautiful white boy rapper
Tony Lashleyon the West London rapper Slew
Mano Sundaresanon the inevitability of somebody releasing an AI-generated or assisted song that gets critical acclaim
Philip Sherburneon the coming mass streaming exodus
W. David Marx on a return to organic and analog aesthetics
Jaime Brookson the rise of “techno nihilism” as an aesthetic movement
Ruby Justice Theloton Timothée Chalamet winning an Oscar — and ushering in the era of “theater kid energy”
Javier Cabral on how 2026 will be the year of heirloom corn tortillas — in all the colors of the rainbow
Technology (21:20)
Taylor Lorenzon the coming mass cultural revolt against technology
Lil Interneton how the escalating theological conflict between luddites and AI true believers could spin out into something resembling the 30 Years War
Yuri Rybak on the vertical integration of everything and prediction market traders becoming religious oracles
Rachel Meade Smithonhow 2026 will be the year where writers find out if the robots are really coming for their jobs
Jacob Hurwitz-Goodmanon a shift in AI discourse toward military and surveillance applications
Mike Pepion a renewed societal yearning for trad media institutions
Trevor McFedries on how AI advances may actually lead to more opportunities for people with good taste
Carly Busta on the rise of a neo-oral culture
Media (33:15)
Ock Sportelloon the death of Twitter as a cultural force
Anthony Di Mieri on the end of the era of shortform vertical video
Matt Pearce on a shift from individualism to collectivism among independent content creators
Harry Krinskyon 2026 as the year of the (antimemetic) stunt
Ben Dietzon the return of low-cost ephemera (zines, stickers, promo CDs) in marketing
T.M. Brownon journalists fleeing Substack
Joshua Riveraon the rise of hyper-niche media and courting “security through obscurity”
John Herrmanon how prediction marks will transform political media—and eventually politics
Society (49:27)
Steven Phillips-Horston the end of bright white lighting
Carolina Mirandaon “the trollification of governance”
Devon Hansenon a coming vogue for esoteric spirituality, the paranormal, and the occult
Kieran Press-Reynoldson the inevitable confrontation between Nick Fuentes and Donald Trump
Kevin Mungeron the Left finally grappling with the political consequences of declining birth rates
Douglas Rushkoffon how things are going to get weird — in a good way
Gideon Jacobson how 2026 will be our rock-bottom moment as a species
Luke O’Neilon one single good day
