Latest / Mini Scroll / 2025 Pop Culture Predictions: Relationships, Music, Tech, Beauty, Fashion + More!

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2025 Pop Culture Predictions: Relationships, Music, Tech, Beauty, Fashion + More! · Mini Scroll

0:02
With summer coming up, we're entering my favorite season of
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all, Margarita season. I love a classic refreshing
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Margarita on a hot summers day to enjoy at barbecues, picnics,
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and on weekend getaways. For the perfect mark, I use Jose
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Cuarvo, the world's number one tequila brand.
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A big thank you to Jose Cuarvo for continuing to support the
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pod and help us produce content for all of you.
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Time to embrace Margarita season with Jose Cuarvo and remember to
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drink responsibly. Welcome back to Infinite Scroll
0:34
everyone, the final Infinite Scroll episode of 2024 and you
0:40
guys will notice that I am joined today by two random
0:44
people, Annabelle Ben, David and Alex Servanovska.
0:52
Hello. So Annabelle, you guys know, I
0:55
talk about her all the time. She's also in all of the credits
0:58
for every Infinite Scroll episode.
1:00
She is our podcast producer and she writes the majority of every
1:04
single episode always. Slogging away in the Google Talk
1:07
for real. She has Co hosted viral news
1:10
episode with me once around this time last year when Jordy was
1:13
doing her wedding stuff. So welcome back to the pod
1:16
Annabelle. Thank you.
1:17
And now Alex, she does all of our partnerships.
1:20
So all of our sponsorships. You guys are like so sweet about
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our sponsorships. Whenever we have a sponsorship,
1:25
you guys are like, Oh my God, yes, Soleil, like we love when
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you guys are getting paid and that is so kind.
1:30
So Alex gets all of those for us.
1:32
Yes. And also it looks really good on
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us when you comment that. So keep commenting.
1:36
Keep. Commenting that keep.
1:38
That up. Yes, but we thought for the last
1:41
episode of the year, you guys have been asking to meet the
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team to kind of see who's behind the podcast, the Greater Brand
1:48
Centennial World. So I thought this was the
1:50
perfect opportunity. We're going to share our 2025
1:54
pop culture predictions as a Gen.
1:56
Z media brand. We are in the know.
1:59
Well, at least Annabelle and I think are in the know.
2:01
We'll see if you're in the know. I don't know anything.
2:04
She's like, I just sell things. Here for morale.
2:07
I love that. For Taylor Swift.
2:09
Yeah, she's the Swifty. She's the one if you guys listen
2:11
to Minnie, sometimes I give like Swifty updates.
2:14
They all come from Alex. Yeah.
2:16
But as you guys will see, we have our margaritas, our Jose
2:19
Cuervo, we thought for the last episode of the year, although it
2:21
is a Monday for us right now, while we're recording this,
2:24
we're going to drink these. And just cheers to a freaking
2:27
crazy year. So as always, Please remember to
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rate, review and subscribe. We are trying to get to 500
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Spotify reviews by the end of the year.
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So star rate US please on Spotify.
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Please also sign up to our newsletter, which is called
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Infinite Scroll. On Fridays.
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We round up the five biggest thing pieces on the Internet
2:45
that week. And Annabelle actually usually
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writes that episode, that episode, that newsletter, that
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newsletter, also the episode, the newsletter.
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So give her some support and sign up.
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OK, thanks. Please, please, I'm always
2:57
rooting for the newsletter. We have compiled this list and
3:07
we are going to put it together in different sections.
3:10
So the first section that we're going to share our predictions
3:12
in our relationship. So that's marriages,
3:15
engagements, breakups, or even babies.
3:18
There are a couple of popular predictions that have been
3:21
floating around TikTok that we thought we would flag here.
3:25
First, some Internet users seem convinced.
3:28
Not me, but some people seem convinced that Timothy Chalmay
3:31
and Kylie Jenner will get engaged.
3:34
I do not believe this for the life of me.
3:37
I actually saw a post today saying that they've been
3:39
together for two years and I was like, that's crazy.
3:42
Like they are not together. No, I feel like from the get go
3:45
you were always like, they are not real like that.
3:48
They don't exist in the same universe.
3:49
No, they are not a real relationship.
3:52
I kind of. I love them though.
3:53
They're cute to me. They're random, but they're
3:56
cute. Who are they?
3:58
What are they? No, to me, they're not in a
4:00
relationship. To me.
4:01
They're going to break up this year because they're in a PR
4:03
relationship and it's not real. OK, so according to reports from
4:07
Dumois, Kylie and Timothy seemingly spent Thanksgiving
4:10
together. Now, considering our recent
4:12
Blind Items episode, we know that Dumois isn't exactly the
4:15
most reliable source, so obviously take this with a grain
4:18
of salt. But the website revealed in an
4:20
exclusive that Timothy and Kylie reportedly spent on Thanksgiving
4:23
weekend at wildflower farms in upstate New York.
4:26
Dumois sources came to this conclusion after tracking
4:29
Kylie's private jet. The two have been spotted a
4:32
couple of times throughout 2024, more recently on a date in New
4:36
York City. Otherwise, the pair have made
4:37
extensive efforts to keep their relationship private ever since
4:40
romance rumors started circulating at the beginning of
4:43
2023. I believe it is them keeping it
4:45
private because they're not in a real relationship so they're not
4:48
together that often. But I feel like isn't if it's a
4:50
pale relationship, you're meant to have PR like you never see
4:54
them anywhere. Like it's not PR, right?
4:56
And also doesn't it benefit Timmy at the moment with his
4:59
whole Bob Dylan movie coming out?
5:01
Like would a breakup hide in that or should they stick
5:04
together like. Oh, I see.
5:06
Oh, do you think that have they walked a red carpet?
5:09
Not that I know of. Maybe they'll walk not really
5:11
keeping 100% tabs on them all the time.
5:14
Yeah, yeah. I think maybe they'll walk a red
5:16
carpet together for his movie. That's my prediction for next.
5:20
Year we really went through a whole.
5:22
A journey, yeah. But I feel like every time he's
5:24
in a mood with someone, everyone's like they're dating.
5:27
Is he like ever actually dating anyone?
5:30
Sure. Is it a lie?
5:31
OK. So Speaking of engagements, many
5:34
Swifties are under the impression that Taylor and
5:36
Travis will be getting engaged in 2025.
5:39
Do you think that? I don't know, I don't know,
5:41
maybe maybe it's because like it's assumed that they will, but
5:44
I feel like maybe she's just like tired.
5:47
She's she literally just do it for like so long.
5:51
I feel like she just needs to rest.
5:52
I know, but I was really surprised to see like three days
5:55
after Eras wrapped that she was at that hospital, like doing
5:58
press OPS with those kids. He was there too, right?
6:01
I don't know. Yeah, I mean, she'd never stop.
6:04
She literally never stops. Like maybe she was crazy.
6:07
But also like personal life is different to professional.
6:10
Life, yeah. I agree.
6:11
I think she may never get married.
6:16
I was talking about this with one of my friends and she was Oh
6:19
my God, who did she compare her to?
6:20
And she was like, I think she's gonna go down this maybe Joni
6:23
Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, yes, Stevie Nicks, she said.
6:26
I think it's going to be a Stevie Nicks vibe where she just
6:29
never actually like gets married and it's just so focused on her
6:33
career and I could see that. I don't know.
6:35
She'll definitely get married. I think.
6:37
I feel like that's the life she's been raised in.
6:39
Like she loved when she had like a younger brother.
6:42
Like it's in her music and that journey and that family.
6:44
I feel like, I feel like she will.
6:46
But I mean, if you think about her reaction even this year when
6:50
she was talking about like signed a single cat lady or
6:53
whatever, I feel like she's like more open to the opportunity or
6:58
to the possibility that she does not get married and does not
7:00
have kids. Don't you think Joe kind of
7:02
ruined that for her? I do.
7:03
I do. I see.
7:04
That I see that, but I feel like she still sings about it so much
7:08
like even when we saw with Maddie Healey, she was like, you
7:10
know, he took my metal thing like ring off, put it on the
7:12
wedding ring and that made me like feel like so happy.
7:15
Yeah, true. So it's like, I think she wants
7:17
that, but I think she's been burnt so many times.
7:20
Yeah, but for all we know, she could already be married.
7:22
You know what if she's married and she's never going to tell
7:24
anyone because she doesn't owe anyone anything.
7:26
I respect that. No, but marriage licenses are
7:28
public guys. Oh, is.
7:31
That a real thing? Yeah.
7:32
Yeah. I've got people like I'm a
7:33
child. I.
7:36
Didn't know that was the thing. She was like looking every day
7:39
like Taylor. Swifties are obviously looking.
7:42
You're not a very good Swift. OK, that's insane.
7:46
Thank you. That people.
7:47
That's a great thing. OK, so I mean, obviously there's
7:50
no specific clues or Easter eggs that leads 50s to believe that
7:54
the two might be getting engaged, apart from the fact
7:57
that they seem really serious about one another and deeply
7:59
invested in each other's lives and are spending a lot of time
8:02
together. However, Taylor's Eras Tour is
8:04
now complete, as we just mentioned, so some fans believe
8:07
that she may take time to focus on her personal life, obviously
8:10
including Travis. And then do you have a theory on
8:14
when reputation is coming out? Because you've given us theories
8:17
over this year that I've shared on Mini Scroll and they've never
8:20
come true. Yeah.
8:21
I know. This is your expertise.
8:23
Yeah, this is your time to redeem yourself.
8:25
I can't after everything I've said, I was so sure she would
8:30
release it. Like I was so confident that she
8:32
would release it at the ears to her, but then also she I was
8:36
like I said, Tyra. So probably just like no, bye.
8:39
I also think it has so much power to just feel like
8:41
everyone's like she's gonna do it.
8:42
She's gonna do it. Like at the very end, Like I
8:44
don't know if everyone watching as a fan, but at the very end on
8:46
the last show, like they all did this group hug and I had to
8:49
convince myself that she was like in the middle of the group
8:51
hug, No changing. She was like putting the Rep
8:54
outfit on. I was like, it's happening.
8:56
And then she popped out in the same outfit.
8:57
I'm like. Never mind.
8:59
What the heck is going on? I.
9:01
Love the Swifty delusion like I love it so much.
9:04
We always say, like Alex, you're in.
9:05
Psychosis I I have not listened to that album in so long because
9:10
I refuse to give anyone but Taylor the royalties.
9:14
Oh yeah. So I'm desperate for reputation.
9:16
It's like my. Birth.
9:16
I know. It's such a good.
9:18
It's such a good album, yeah. And the only time I listen to it
9:19
is obviously like on YouTube or if I have the CD.
9:22
Obviously. But but like I can't scream it
9:25
because I refuse to not give her the money.
9:26
So like please day long just release for me.
9:29
Just for me. We'll just clip that for TikTok
9:32
and tag her and maybe it will go viral and then she'll see it.
9:35
I love that for you. OK so while some people seem to
9:38
be rooting for Taylor and Travis, many TikTok users,
9:42
including me, believe that Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater
9:45
will break up. This was my prediction.
9:48
So Ari and Ethan's relationship began around mid 2023 and
9:53
sparked a lot of controversy. So just for a quick recap, both
9:56
were previously married when they met on the set of Wicked,
10:00
leading to widespread speculation on social media and
10:02
in the press about alleged infidelity.
10:05
Ethan's ex-wife, Lily J Slater, publicly criticized the
10:09
relationship, telling Page Six that Ariana is not a girl's girl
10:14
and that Lily's family, including her 11 month old baby
10:17
with Ethan, was collateral damage.
10:20
However, sources close to Ethan and Ariana have maintained that
10:24
neither engaged in cheating. Since then, the two have been
10:27
quite private about their relationship, with Ariana and
10:29
Ethan only speaking about one another occasionally.
10:32
Ariana, for instance, opened up about their relationship in a
10:35
Vanity Fair interview, saying quote.
10:37
The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe
10:40
the worst version of it. That was definitely a tough
10:43
ride. There couldn't be a less
10:44
accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the
10:46
tabloids spread about him. So OK, they obviously seem to be
10:50
going strong, but the reason why I think that they'll break up is
10:53
because Wicked. Like I know that they have one
10:56
more movie to come out, so maybe they'll stay together until that
10:59
press is over. So like maybe they'll break up
11:01
around end of next year, but I just think the way that they got
11:05
together and kind of like the bubble that they're in with
11:08
Wicked, like obviously Wicked has deeply impacted Ariana
11:11
Grande. Like I don't know if she's
11:13
coming back from this. So I think this was just like an
11:16
ecosystem. What?
11:17
Sorry, I don't. Know if she's coming back from
11:19
this? I think she's thriving.
11:22
No, obviously she's in her own like bubble.
11:24
No, I mean, I mean like it's going to impact her and how she
11:26
interacts with her career. I think for the rest.
11:28
Of her life. And so I think, yeah, when it
11:31
comes to this, like they got so wrapped up, it's like they spent
11:34
two years on this set together. Like obviously it's like, you
11:38
know, it's like when you're at university and you like are
11:39
dating somebody who you, like, live in dorms with because
11:42
they're like the closest person and the hottest person that's
11:45
close to you or whatever it is, right?
11:46
So it's like, then you go out to the workforce and you like meet
11:49
all these other men and you're like, oh, there's actually like
11:51
tons of people around. It's giving the Bachelor, yeah.
11:54
You're. In like a bubble and then you
11:56
think you're in love with everyone in there and then
11:58
you're like, oh, actually I'm never mind.
12:01
I'm really not. Look, my parasocial relationship
12:04
is Ariana Grande runs extremely deep so I am only hoping for
12:09
positive things but. I think she will dump him.
12:12
He's not going to dump her. You think even Slater is going
12:14
to dump Ariana Grande one day? She's just going to wake up.
12:18
You sound like Molly, me and Bob, we love it.
12:22
No I think you are like the biggest RE stand.
12:24
Doesn't she follow you on Twitter?
12:25
Yes, but like, I was deep in the trenches of Stan Twitter, like,
12:29
you know, she would do the following spree.
12:30
Yeah, yeah. But yeah.
12:31
But yeah, that's what I'm saying.
12:32
Like you are like so in it. So I understand that you.
12:35
I have to ride for my girl. Were you team Dalton?
12:37
Like, did you like Dalton? Well, we didn't really know much
12:40
like about him, but like, she seemed to be happy.
12:42
But also, like, after all of the, like, traumas she's
12:45
experienced and like, such a tumultuous, like, lost decade, I
12:49
feel like a lot of Ariana fans were, like, rooting for her,
12:52
although there are some mean ones out there.
12:54
But would you call them fans? I mean, they call themselves
12:58
that. I'm just hoping that she, like,
13:00
finds some peace for real. I have to, you know, you know,
13:04
she has been through a lot. And that's something that is
13:05
often, I think, dismissed in a. The conversation around Ariana
13:09
Grande is like how much crazy shit she's been through in the
13:12
last decade, like you said, well, even before that, to be
13:15
honest. Like being a child style true,
13:17
like team style true. Like, I feel like no one talks
13:20
about that. Yeah, that's a good point.
13:22
Yeah. I love how we had both both of
13:23
our. Fate.
13:24
Yes, I know. Trailer to Ari.
13:25
I just want them to be happy. Let's all stop being mean on the
13:28
Internet, Yeah? Let's just be nice.
13:32
I'm going to keep it. Just destroyed.
13:36
Guns like this is what gives me a job.
13:37
The. Whole podcast is just gone.
13:41
OK, so now let's get into some music slash album predictions.
13:45
You have a prediction. I do I don't know if it'll
13:47
necessarily come true but I feel like after everything that
13:50
happened with Liam. So I was a big One Direction fan
13:53
growing up so it was like Taylor or One Direction.
13:55
I feel like there might be on the cards for like a reunion or
13:58
something similar. Maybe not even like a tour
14:00
reunion, but potentially like re releasing old stuff or re
14:03
releasing like unreleased versions of tracks.
14:05
And then the money actually being donated either to Bear,
14:08
which is like Liam's son and or being donated to like mental
14:12
health awareness, like hospitals and different things like that.
14:15
I see that on the cards just because although they don't, I
14:18
don't know if they're friends or not and they don't really follow
14:20
one another. I just feel like they were a
14:22
family for so long that it's almost like it just seems like
14:25
something that they would do. But that's what I think.
14:27
That's what I think. Well, they've also been, I don't
14:29
know if they've been teasing a One Direction reunion or it's
14:32
just the fans who have been like begging for one.
14:34
But this is like the opportunity to give the fans what they want
14:38
and also just like, close that chapter.
14:39
I think so too. Yeah, yeah.
14:41
Do you think people will see it as capitalizing on an
14:44
unfortunate situation though? Not if they donate the proceeds,
14:47
yeah. Agree, yes, yes, yes, yeah.
14:49
I think the same. I think if they did like a tour,
14:51
obviously the money they make would cover costs, but other
14:54
than that I don't think they would actually take any like.
14:56
I don't think they're gonna tour.
14:58
That's crazy. I don't know, like maybe not
15:00
like the world, but maybe they'll do like a show in the
15:02
UK, like a show where Liam was from, something like that, like
15:05
a Manchester. Vibe.
15:06
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like a tribute.
15:08
Yeah, I can see that. OK.
15:10
Well, I also have a music prediction.
15:12
So obviously 2024 was the year of the pop galley with the rise
15:16
of like, you know, Charlie Chapel Sabrina.
15:18
So I wouldn't be surprised if the industry slash like music
15:23
labels stop pushing for a boy pop star like the likes of One
15:27
Direction and Justin Bieber because we haven't really had
15:30
that like since I guess the mid twenty 10s.
15:33
So yeah, I think it could be someone completely random, like
15:36
who hasn't. Really come up yet?
15:38
Yeah, or there are a couple of strong contenders.
15:41
I think maybe the kid Leroy has a good chance, especially
15:46
because he's kind of mentored by like, Justin Bieber.
15:48
Yeah, and also like his relationship with Tate McRae
15:51
kind of gives Jelena vibes. Although hopefully the fandoms
15:54
are much less toxic towards them.
15:57
Probably. Not.
15:58
When I was like, maybe take McCray and the kid Leroy will
16:00
get engaged and you were like. They're like, I was like, I hope
16:04
not, but yeah. So I think the kid Leroy, I
16:06
think it's a bit of a different vibe, but like Troy Sivan, he's
16:10
kind of having his moment. Also, obviously there's a lot of
16:12
K pop stars that could fit into that kind of like more bubble
16:17
gum pop territory. And then, well, I do think like
16:20
an under, like a early 20s artist who's popping up has also
16:24
been some boon, but that he's a different vibe as well.
16:27
Yeah, I wouldn't say he's so, so much pop.
16:28
No, I don't know, maybe like he is.
16:31
Don't you know that guy that always flips on the dance floor?
16:34
What? I don't know how to explain.
16:36
Like indie. No.
16:37
This is like when Jordy and I were talking about Emma
16:39
Chamberlain and Role model and I was like, I don't know who role
16:42
Model is. And she was like what?
16:45
And then like I got destroyed because I was like, that is the
16:48
most boomer thing I've ever said.
16:49
I was like, I only know him as like Emma Chamberlain's
16:52
boyfriend and she was like, girl.
16:54
Role model is actually a decent shelf, but maybe in the Benson
16:57
Boone kind of category. Yeah.
16:58
I mean, while I think, like, teenage girls kind of always
17:02
want, you know, like a boy pop style, and often that
17:04
demographic is capitalized upon even though they're consistently
17:07
undervalued. I'm wondering, like, what the
17:09
appetite for, like, a main pop boy would be because I do think
17:13
we're in such a girl's girl. Yeah.
17:15
I agree with that. I feel like we don't really care
17:18
about boys. Also, what do you call a boy
17:21
like we have girlies like what are boys like?
17:24
They don't have any the. Boys.
17:25
I don't like that. The boys with AZ, The boys,
17:28
yeah. I don't know if we're ready to
17:29
flip yet, you know, And like, leave the era of the girl.
17:32
I think, yeah, it might not be 2025, but I wouldn't be
17:35
surprised if we see something soon.
17:37
And also to be fair though, like I do kind of think a main pop
17:40
boy has to do less than the main main, yes of course to get to
17:44
that. Level thing I think about even
17:45
the performances like all the dancing.
17:47
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like maybe it would be
17:49
Troy then, because he's like for the girls and the gays, you
17:51
know? But I think they need, I think
17:54
the girlies like what Hollywood would manufacture.
17:57
The industry would be a boy that is straight, quote UN quote so
18:02
that you can be like, I have a crush on him, He's my boyfriend.
18:06
Like, even if he's not straight, like, you know, like we just
18:07
don't know. Yeah, me with One Direction.
18:10
Me with Taylor, yeah. Me with Taylor Swift.
18:13
You're like Gaylord, we obviously can't talk about 2025
18:18
without discussing the impending TikTok ban in the United States.
18:23
For all of those who are unfamiliar with the TikTok ban,
18:25
here is some. Context Obviously the talk of a
18:28
TikTok ban has been around since like 2020, with both the Trump
18:32
and Biden administrations voicing suspicions that Byte
18:35
Dance, the Chinese owned parent company, is sharing data from
18:38
millions of US users with the Chinese government.
18:41
This has already seen the app banned on federal devices and
18:43
user data transferred to AUS based cloud platform.
18:47
But things started to get even more serious in March of this
18:50
year when the US House of Representatives passed the
18:53
Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled
18:56
Applications Act, which is a mouthful, but it essentially
19:01
called for Byte Dance to divest from TikTok or face a nationwide
19:05
ban. It ended up stolen in the
19:07
Senate, but it did come back, as it so often does, with when
19:12
House Republicans attached a revised version of the bill in a
19:15
foreign aid package. Not me getting like political,
19:18
but like a foreign aid package is a must pass bill.
19:20
So often sudden amendments get attached and then they end up
19:23
going through when they might have not otherwise.
19:26
So it ended up being passed into law by President Biden in April.
19:30
And it much like the original bill, it calls for bite downs to
19:34
divest from TikTok and all face a ban.
19:36
And there is a deadline which is January 19th, one day before
19:39
Biden's time is set to expire. That really at this point, it
19:46
kind of seems likely that TikTok will be banned or restricted in
19:50
some capacity just because you know, the timeline and
19:53
everything. And also AUS court recently
19:55
rejected Tik Tok's efforts to overturn the law.
19:59
But obviously there are ways around this ban.
20:01
For example, us investors like can buy TikTok, but buy dance
20:05
has been pretty vocal in that they don't want to be forced to
20:07
sell and on top of that, like with a new administration coming
20:10
in that often comes with change. But given like considering it's.
20:15
Trump and he started the ban like the war on TikTok quote, UN
20:19
quote in the 1st place. I'm not quite sure how that
20:21
would play out. On top of that, he's pretty like
20:24
if with this being framed as like a national security issue
20:26
and like Trump is pretty hawkish on China.
20:28
Like I don't know how much that will change.
20:31
But it is worth noting that during the campaign he did make
20:34
a post on Truth Social saying if you want to say TikTok, vote for
20:37
me. Oh my gosh.
20:38
Which easily could have been a play for, like, Gen.
20:40
Z voters, but just putting them out.
20:44
Maybe. But yeah, no, I do kind of think
20:46
it's weird in general, though, because the US uses so much
20:50
other Chinese technology. I think TikTok has just kind of
20:52
become like a buzzword. Yeah.
20:54
Yeah. So it leaves me wondering what
20:56
would be next. But then also, I'm curious like,
20:59
well, I kind of, I think that, like, we might be panicking at
21:03
the moment. I'm not actually sure how much a
21:05
TikTok ban would, like, affect culture in the short term simply
21:09
because, like, from what I've heard, it's more of like
21:11
stopping downloads. So like, yeah, so like Google
21:14
Play and like Apple Store. Yeah, it'll be taken off the app
21:17
stores, right? Yes, as far as I understand.
21:19
And so then eventually it'll stop working because it won't be
21:21
able to be like updated. So I'm curious like in the in
21:24
the short term, like people will still be using TikTok.
21:26
So I don't know if it will actually have such like a
21:29
impactful outcome. Yeah, I think it won't be so
21:33
impactful right away, but it will fizzle out, right?
21:36
Of course the app will stop eventually at some point stop
21:39
working. Or maybe Byte Dance will stop
21:41
updating the app so that they can use it forever.
21:44
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was gonna say that.
21:45
Yeah, also that. You know, who knows?
21:47
But also, I was gonna say, like, I do think this is worth talking
21:49
about, even though we're not based in the US, obviously.
21:51
Yeah. But like, I wouldn't be
21:52
surprised if like Australia, yeah.
21:56
I was also curious if you guys had any thoughts like if TikTok
21:59
does get banned and then people can't use it if like what the
22:03
new culture driving platform would be like or has it not come
22:07
up yet? I don't know.
22:08
You know what I'm gonna say? Like that short form video I
22:11
feel is already not definitely not out.
22:15
But I think our next prediction. Oh, does it?
22:17
Yes, but it it's not as influential as it was a couple
22:23
years ago. It felt so new, even though we
22:25
obviously had Vine and stuff, but it was just like the new kid
22:27
on the block. So I think now we are seeing
22:32
more of a shift towards that long form content like podcasts,
22:35
YouTube videos, all of that. So I actually wouldn't be
22:39
surprised if yeah, moves back towards like YouTube or kind of
22:44
like user owned content. Like I know we've been saying
22:47
this for years. So I actually don't really
22:49
believe it, but like people like, love to say like A blog or
22:52
like, you know, like a.com or whatever.
22:54
But yeah, like a podcast, YouTube, that kind of stuff.
22:57
What do you guys? Think I'm confused as to how
22:59
this is like even legal. I know.
23:02
How can you make a company sell their company?
23:04
I know what are. You talking about oh, sorry, no,
23:06
no, sell it now. What do you mean?
23:08
I know it's crazy. That's.
23:10
Oh, that's delusional. I know that can't be real.
23:12
I know. Well, they're saying like if you
23:14
sell it, we won't ban it, so you'll get to keep the users.
23:17
But then I guess they won't get to keep the users because they
23:19
won't own the company. Yeah, who do they want to sell
23:21
to someone in? America like US, based like Mark
23:23
Demilio. Mark Demilio, he was trying to
23:26
buy it. No, he literally tried to buy it
23:28
and it was crazy. He was like, let's get it.
23:30
I'm going to get a group of investors together and
23:32
everyone's like Charlie Demilio's dad is going to try
23:34
and buy tickets. To save your TikTok, please, we
23:37
need you come back. Yeah, where is he?
23:41
But you know, that kind of goes on to like our next prediction,
23:44
which is like YouTube and longer form content will return to the
23:47
zeitgeist in a meaningful way. When I was doing research for
23:50
this episode, I thought an interesting point in that was in
23:55
the in case you missed it sub stack by Leah Haberman, and she
23:58
pointed to a phenomenon called brain rot fatigue.
24:01
She basically said that there's a high likelihood that being
24:04
overexposed to brain rot will lead us to crave more
24:07
intentional, meaningful online engagement.
24:09
Brain rot has been everywhere. Yeah, and I mean, I have never
24:13
felt worse mentally than when I'm scrolling TikTok.
24:16
Yeah. Like, and I go to YouTube for
24:18
like a reprieve and I'm like proud of myself.
24:20
If I watch like ATV show or like a YouTube video and I don't
24:23
like, look at my phone, like that's crazy.
24:26
I'm like, this is actually me touching grass, like watching.
24:28
YouTube. Yeah, No, I also think with the
24:32
rise of long form content, it won't just be like analytical
24:36
videos, like podcasts or video essays.
24:38
I think we might, like, see the return of longer form vlogs.
24:41
Yeah, simply because I think people are so fatigued.
24:44
Like everything that has happened, like since 2020.
24:47
I think people just need a break.
24:49
And maybe we just want to like, turn away from that kind of
24:51
content and like, just watch our favorite influencers.
24:54
Have fun. Totally, and like the rise of
24:56
regular people as influencers. I know we have said that for so
24:59
many years when it comes to TikTok, but it hasn't really
25:04
rung true, I would say. And now I find like the YouTube
25:08
channels that I'm watching have like under 1000 subscribers.
25:12
Like I'm like, I'm like obsessed with just watching regular
25:15
people do their makeup or like regular people live their lives
25:19
or whatever it is. And I think that because we're
25:22
going to crave like we have influencer fatigue, we have
25:24
brain rot fatigue. I feel like the anecdote to that
25:27
is anecdote, anecdote, solution. No, it's like, what's that word
25:32
that's like when you're like the like the medicine.
25:35
What's like? It's like the.
25:36
Antidote the. Anecdote.
25:38
Yeah, like just consuming intentional content, like you
25:42
said, of just going back to the good old days.
25:45
And I know we've said that for so long, but I really feel like
25:47
we're on the cusp of that, especially if TikTok gets.
25:51
Yeah, I love TikTok but it freaks me out that I can't
25:54
remember like the last three videos that.
25:55
I've no yeah. That gives me like, so much like
25:58
trauma, Yeah, trauma. It's not trauma, but I, it
26:00
freaks me out. Yeah.
26:01
Yeah, of course. Like scrolling in the haze.
26:03
Yeah, yeah, I can't remember anything, but then if someone
26:05
says something in my head, I'm like answering it with TikTok
26:07
videos yeah, yeah, like I can't even think anymore.
26:09
The. Amount of like, I just speak in
26:12
audios now, yeah. Literally you do, especially.
26:15
Yeah, thank you. It's kind of my job.
26:18
Trail that's that's also the problem working at this company,
26:21
it gets. Literally your job to do.
26:23
My job is brain. Rot.
26:24
Yeah, literally. Speaking of tech now with Blue
26:27
Sky, we have already seen such a major uptick in people using the
26:31
platform since Donald Trump won the election.
26:34
Much of this shift has been driven by former ex users who no
26:36
longer want to support Elon Musk after he became a key figure in
26:40
the Trump presidential campaign and the incoming administration.
26:43
For instance, in the weeks after the US election, Blue Sky gained
26:47
over 1,000,000 users. Blue Sky has has experienced
26:50
other spikes in user growth this year.
26:52
In October, for example, the platform's user base increased
26:56
by 500,000 in a single day following X decision to disable
27:00
a block feature. Ultimately, the Elon's.
27:05
The Elon's, The Elon's, the mosque.
27:11
Ultimately, with Elon's growing public presence, it seems
27:14
unlikely that those who left X for Blue Sky will return.
27:18
That said, X has managed to retain some of what made Twitter
27:22
popular, especially the memes and pop culture discourse, which
27:25
will be tough for Blue Sky to replicate.
27:27
However, as far as news goes, X has become a haven for
27:31
misinformation and bigotry, so it's no surprise that people are
27:34
jumping over to Blue. Sky.
27:36
Do you guys have blue sky? Yeah.
27:38
But it logs me out if anybody else has blue sky.
27:41
Like, I log into the app on my phone and then I'll, like,
27:45
scroll, and then I'll exit, and then the next time I click on it
27:47
I have to log back in. Like, that is a flaw.
27:50
Yeah, I don't think it's common. Like I think I must just have a
27:52
glitch but it's really annoying. I don't have.
27:54
No, because I like recently downloaded Blue sky and like as
27:58
toxic as stand Twitter is that slash was it just doesn't hit
28:02
the same. Yeah, yeah, but I think like
28:04
there probably aren't as many users on it.
28:06
Yeah, yeah. And it's going to have a.
28:08
Different culture, yeah. Yeah, I feel like I left
28:11
Twitter. So because it was, it's toxic.
28:14
So then I was like, I'm not getting a blue sky.
28:16
Yeah, surely it'll just become like.
28:17
That yeah, maybe. Well, maybe, yeah.
28:19
Well, well, well, there are a couple of beauty and fashion
28:24
trends that have been circulating around the digital
28:26
space. Now, obviously we can't talk
28:28
about every prediction or trend that is coming in 2025, but we
28:32
have pulled a few from different reports and online discourse.
28:36
The first is the fisherman aesthetic.
28:39
So according to Pinterest predicts 2025 report quote in
28:42
2025, if Gen. Z will embrace a laid back
28:45
maritime attitude, bringing nautical vibes to everything,
28:48
even if you can't see the sea from here.
28:50
So some items slash trends that the report points to are
28:54
fisherman sandals, cable knit jumpers and sardine tattoos.
28:59
Yeah. What's a sardine tattoo?
29:01
Like the fish sardine? In the can like the cans wait.
29:04
What? Maybe I I I think maybe.
29:07
I feel like I see tattoos where people have like the camp pulled
29:09
back and there's like Saudi, yeah, you're right, but like.
29:12
Why I'm feeling? Nautical.
29:15
So while this all might sound slightly weird, it is worth
29:19
noting that Emma Chamberlain has been calling this trend for
29:22
years in vlogs, Instagram posts, and even on her most recent
29:26
video where she shared everything in her closet, she
29:28
showed her boat shoes and shared how much she loves them.
29:31
According to Daniela Guevara for Hype Bay Quote, earlier this
29:35
year, the Instagram account data but Make It Fashion reported
29:38
that the footwear style had increased by 4%.
29:41
And trends like Old money Prep and Americana are synonymously
29:45
making waves with style figures such as Nara Smith and Lucky
29:48
Blue Smith. I mean this all just goes
29:50
together with like the trad Wi-Fi.
29:52
Yeah, no, like on that. I feel like the fisherman vibes,
29:56
I wouldn't be surprised if they come true because like with I
30:00
feel like it's like siblings with preppy which is what we're
30:03
seeing. Yeah, like Americana.
30:04
Yeah, kind of that lean into conservativism.
30:08
Yeah, conservativism. And I trust Emma Chamberlain, if
30:11
she called it. I trust her.
30:13
Yeah. So another trend that we are
30:15
predicting is the demise of baby Botox and filler.
30:18
It's safe to say that the unrealistic beauty standards
30:21
placed on women to look young likely won't ease anytime soon.
30:25
However, we're seeing more influencers open up about their
30:27
experiences with Botox fillers. Anna Paul is one such example,
30:32
recently sharing her journey of returning to her natural look
30:35
after dissolving lip filler. Though it is worth noting she
30:38
did add some back in after fully dissolving them.
30:42
And that is actually the trend that I've seen is like
30:43
influencers being like, come dissolve my lips with me and
30:46
then they dissolve them. They look so good.
30:48
It makes them look like 10 years younger.
30:49
This is me. I have lip fillers coming from
30:51
someone with lip filler. And then they get it again which
30:54
like honestly I would be the same so.
30:57
Well, I think with Anna, she said.
30:58
Like how lips look different to how they did naturally cuz she'd
31:02
been getting Philip for so long so.
31:05
Right, so she wanted to. She just said there was so much
31:08
space cuz her lips had expanded so much so that was kind of why
31:11
she did. That yeah, she said.
31:12
There was heaps of skin so they felt like they looked really
31:15
wrinkly. Yeah, that makes sense.
31:17
On top of this, the Gen. Z looks old discourse really
31:20
took off this year, with many social media users claiming that
31:23
Gen. Z's obsession with fillers has
31:26
ruined their youth. This may lead to a shift away
31:29
from focus on fillers, especially among young women in
31:31
their 20s. Instead of looking filled, they
31:34
will likely opt for a more natural look.
31:37
Still, the conversation around looking young will continue
31:40
through 2025, particularly with celebrities like Christina
31:44
Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan seemingly getting work done and
31:47
looking almost identical to how they did in their 20s.
31:50
I think that's what it is. Like, I think we're going to
31:52
move away from like really early interventions, like everyone
31:56
encouraging baby Botox at like 20 years old.
31:59
Like I think we're realizing that that of course, ages what
32:03
you look like. I think more, I think as the
32:06
years go on, more invasive plastic surgery is going to
32:09
become the norm. It's like you're not going to be
32:11
getting Botox and fillers for like 15 years before you turn, I
32:15
don't know, 45. You're just going to get a
32:17
facelift at 45. That's what I think is going to
32:20
happen. So start saving because facelift
32:23
is expensive. There are a couple of other
32:25
beauty trends that we see gaining popularity at next year,
32:29
specifically the rise of messy makeup.
32:32
I want to say not grunge because I know we've been calling grunge
32:35
for like years and that really has not take.
32:38
I mean, maybe I took off a bit more this year with Brat, but
32:40
like I'm going to say messy makeup because I don't know if
32:43
you guys are on the side of beauty TikTok, but there are all
32:47
these legacy makeup artists who are like recreating these looks
32:52
that they did on celebrities in the 2000s, twenty 10s.
32:56
And the main kind of take away that everyone is getting from
32:59
this is that nothing is precise. Like makeup now is so precise.
33:04
It's about like everything looking perfect.
33:07
You know, your winged liner, like everything is so put
33:10
together. And I think the main take away
33:13
we see from these like true working celebrity makeup artist,
33:17
it's not about precision and perfection.
33:19
It's about like vibes, you know, And so I think we're gonna have
33:23
kind of a hark back to that messy, just like easy user
33:28
friendly makeup. I think Saltburn was like a
33:30
really big push towards that and I wouldn't be surprised that
33:33
continues. I also think that's a really
33:35
good call. Yeah, yeah.
33:36
Yeah, I agree with that. OK.
33:38
So lastly, we have a couple of random predictions that don't
33:42
necessarily fit into one of the previously mentioned categories.
33:46
First and foremost, we're expecting or at least hoping to
33:50
see more brands shifting towards consumer events and activations
33:53
rather than influencer focused ones.
33:56
So we've talked at length on this podcast about how Gen.
33:59
Z is craving community and 3rd spaces where they don't have to
34:02
spend money. Some of Gen.
34:04
Z's favorite social media platforms are centered on
34:06
community building, like Discord for example, which is a voice
34:10
and text chat app that's become the go to for users to connect
34:13
around niche interests. Similarly, Reddit offers
34:16
subreddits for users to explore their passions while staying
34:19
anonymous. My prediction, my random
34:22
prediction, I have a couple random ones, is I predict that
34:26
road will venture into baby or mummy products and I think that
34:31
will be the first time maybe we see the baby.
34:33
I don't know. You don't people ever see.
34:34
That I think. They're gonna show.
34:35
I don't think so. I'd be so surprised.
34:37
I think maybe Haley would be down to show, but I think
34:40
Justin's trauma maybe. Yeah, I agree.
34:42
OK, fair. And then I think posting on
34:45
stories for the sake of posting I think is done.
34:49
Well, I said it's gonna be done and Annabelle's like it's been
34:51
done. I'm like okay Annabelle, okay,
34:54
jump bad. That works.
34:55
I love a story post. Yeah, me too.
34:58
But honestly, just based on even my own user behavior this year,
35:02
I'm posting so much less. I definitely post on stories
35:05
more than I do on my grid, but I don't post on stories.
35:09
When Annabelle puts a story post up, I'm like.
35:11
I know. What is it like, what is she
35:12
doing? What is she doing?
35:14
We've never posted anything that she's reposting.
35:17
Yeah, like anything. We tag her in.
35:19
Never. No.
35:20
Never. I'm like not trying to treat my
35:23
Instagram like LinkedIn though. Just doesn't like us.
35:27
I'm a stand for a story, repost stories and side parts.
35:31
I was going to repost a side part.
35:33
Oh yeah, my other My other prediction was that straight
35:36
hair, like pin straight hair is going to come back with side
35:38
part. I love a side part.
35:40
I'm fighting for the millennials every bring back the side part.
35:44
No, but I was going to say, oh, also my other prediction is that
35:47
I think this is so random. Dixie Demilia was going to quit
35:50
social. Media.
35:51
I like how you sent that to the Slack and like there was no
35:54
context. It was just like Dixie's going
35:56
to quit. Like is there any reason you
35:57
think that or is it just? Not I mean it feels like she's
35:59
basically already quit and I think especially if TikTok goes
36:02
away she's going to be done like that girl.
36:04
Hates. Social media, I think she needs
36:07
to find a purpose outside of like.
36:09
I think she just should just go be like a model.
36:12
Maybe she's not tall enough. Alex, you can definitely do like
36:15
fashion Y stuff. Yeah, we have business based
36:17
prediction like slash manifestation, manifestation.
36:20
So, Alex, you can go first. OK.
36:22
So my first one is Centennial, Centennial will go viral, so
36:26
infinite scroll will go viral. So make that happen.
36:30
And two, I think brands like Lauren mentioned this how we'll
36:33
start doing like industry focused events for consumers,
36:36
but I feel like brands need to start working with the little
36:39
guy which is us, even though I would argue that we produce
36:41
numbers bigger than the big guys.
36:43
So that's. What?
36:44
I'm saying I also would argue if you're a marketing manager or
36:47
you represent a brand at all, you should definitely ask for
36:50
screenshots from these big guys because they're lying to.
36:52
You, Oh my God, just going in. I'm going in form that you've
36:56
been given. I am.
36:58
We are good and you should work with us.
37:00
We are good. Lauren is good.
37:01
As if we do this all the time, the three of us.
37:03
Can you tell that she is the one in sales?
37:06
Yeah, I also have how much views and impressions we make a year.
37:08
I won't say it, but it's a lot. And OK, I'm going to say it.
37:12
OK. Do you know this year alone we
37:14
grew the podcast by 450%. That's a lot.
37:17
So if that continues into next year, every episode we'll get
37:20
like 50,000 views. And you know what?
37:21
I don't think the big guys are doing this, so Brian should work
37:24
with them. With such an engaged audience.
37:26
Not publishers, not publishers, yes, and our audience.
37:29
So go just look at that always talk about, they always talk
37:31
about all the brands we work with and.
37:32
We love reading the comments. Yeah, yeah.
37:34
Especially when they're yeah. Yeah, yeah.
37:36
Especially when they're not. So be mean.
37:38
Being mean is out, yeah. Being nice is.
37:40
In Yeah. And my prediction, I have two.
37:44
I can't say much about them, but I am manifesting slash
37:49
predicting that people stop plagiarizing us and we will no
37:53
longer face any legal battle. Oh my God, I was like, why can't
37:56
you say much about things? I mean if you want.
37:59
It's been a litigious year. Yeah, stop plagiarizing.
38:03
And yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you're going to
38:05
plagiarize like, please credit. Yeah, Annabelle's like, that's
38:08
my word. Literally, I'm offended.
38:10
Literally, Oh my God. OK guys.
38:12
Well that's it for Infinite Scroll for the year.
38:15
This is the last podcast episode until we're back on January 13th
38:20
with Mini scrolls. Thank you guys so much for such
38:23
a fantastic year. We have grown so much.
38:26
Like Alex said, so many of you guys are brand new to the
38:28
podcast and we're so excited to have you guys.
38:31
This has been such a roller coaster of a year, figuring out
38:34
how to do a daily podcast while also doing such big scripted
38:38
deep dives every Friday. It's been a year of lessons for
38:42
the team, but we are going to be back and better than ever in
38:46
2025, taking all of the learnings that we had from this
38:50
year. So thank you guys so much.
38:52
I love you guys. Please rate, review and
38:54
subscribe as always. This episode was written by
38:57
Annabelle with contributions from me and Alex.
39:01
Yeah, okay, I had no one but. Edited by my husband Sean cuz
39:06
Danny is on vacation and I love you guys and we will talk to you
39:10
guys next year. Bye bye.