Story scent: Rosemary and Aloe

Story best enjoyed with a taste of: Spicy dark chocolate with a hint of mint

Play on repeat while reading: I really wish I could put anything but the “Jet2 Holiday” soundtrack, but who are we kidding

In short… No. We’re not okay. Don’t think we have been okay since 2016. Summer 2016, to be specific. I think we collectively agree that’s when we peaked.

We have had quite a year. Trapped in a loop of stunts that cosplay cultural significance, social media evaluations, performativism, and endless AI debates, we stumbled through the year, dubbing every new trend and discovery as a recession indicator (mostly they were).

We live in a bizarre world. Memes are being studied on par with philosophical concepts, and society is collectively baffled by the price of matcha lattes (the only thing that seems to unite us).

But then again, the world was always bizarre. People were as divided, confused, and overwhelmed in 1025 as they are in 2025. At least now we have the internet, whereas back then it was the bubonic plague or something. So, by past standards, 2025 was not bad at all. It wasn’t, for example, 536 AD (a year when a volcanic eruption plunged the earth into 18 months of complete darkness).

So here we are, at the edge of 2025. And what have we learned? In this essay, I will attempt to wrap up 2025 in under 1000 words (okay, maybe 2000) and try to make sense of whatever we all just went through.

2025 Was Often Bleak

Apart from the plague/internet progression, the world is not that different. We are still in the state of constant war and conflict, inflicted upon the civilian population by the greedy, apathetic men in power. These same men have been terrorising people, draining their homeland’s resources, and depriving them of freedom for generations. Faces change, their evil remains. Back then, people did not have the resources to understand the extent of their malicious power; now, they are simply desensitised.

Reflecting upon the year, it seems impossible not to mention all the horrible things still happening in the world. The war and terror taking place in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, and countless other places around the world do not take a Christmas break just because we do, and suddenly posting about our Advent calendar takes priority over spreading awareness about the atrocities happening all around the world. So, before reflecting and making 2026 vision boards, let’s read, educate ourselves, donate if we can, and remember what truly needs our undivided attention.

This part of the 2025 wrap essay is a plea to not kick 2026 off desensitised.

2025 Was Chronically Online

Since the world is somewhat burning, 2025 seems to have desensitised us to a lot of things, while also giving us at least 20 new anxieties. In the spirit of honest reflection, and to mirror exactly how society has been jumping from serious conversation to complete brain-rot-induced delirium in seconds, let me give you a sneak peek of my current FYP.Beauty trends, how to be chic, Etsy witch recs, how to make money, how to be on a budget, abs r made in the kitchen, no the gym, no the kitchen, no the moon, 200g protein pizza, MARTY SUPREME CHRISTMAS DAY, news from places that actually require attention, political updates that sound like satire, how to glow up for 2026, books to read, books to actually read, ten hobbies that will make you feel good, how to stabilise your mood, how to breathe so you don’t accidentally hurt your body, MARTY SUPREME CHRISTMAS DAYYY, personal style tips, real tips on how to actual develop personal style, how to actually truly wholeheartedly have style, MARTYSUPREMECHRISTMASDAY, Labubus, more Labubus, news from the part of the world that require immediate attention, influencers recommending products that are definitely not sponsored, weird AI generated video, MARTYSUPEREMEEECH(you get it).

Once every 10 videos, my algorithm also feels the need to ask me: “Are you a girl? Do u feel good about yourself? Haha, you’re so silly, here are ten new things u should be insecure about.”

Unpacking what it’s like to exist as a woman in 2025 is a whole other essay. We are fed problems and encouraged to purchase solutions; we are trapped in a vicious capitalist cycle. Although the world’s relationship to anyone who’s not a white dude named Kyle has always been somewhat complicated, the chronically online thing did not make it easier.

2025 Was Curating Authenticity

The growing trend of curation seems to have reached its peak. Or maybe it just seems that way because it’s pretty much become synonymous with everyday life now, so the more days pass, the bigger it grows.

We keep talking about authenticity, but are we really authentic, or have we, in the year 2025, just learned how to perform authenticity so well that you can’t tell the difference? In all the “spend a day with me” and “what I eat/drink/think in a day” videos, the plot gets a bit lost. I mean, let’s be honest, when trend predictions preach that 2025 is the year of authentic content and brands jump on the wagon, the actual authenticity factor kind of disappears.

This year, we were tired of curated posts, but also of raw, unfiltered posts. We wanted a filter that feels real, but the disbelief is still suspended. We certainly did not mind curation guides. Long and informative videos on how to exist in this state of always cute but never seeming like the cute is put on.

As we reflect on the year, one thing becomes clear. We often get so busy curating our lives, we forget to live them. Even our brain rot time is monetised with videos like “how to scroll on TikTok the right way” and literally (wish I was kidding) “how to sit in silence and think.” I mean… That’s a bit much.

Perhaps as we enter 2026, we leave behind the worries about that exact right kind of authenticity (the kind that garners attention) and just, like, exist. I will certainly try, because, honestly, I am not a stranger to planning out exactly how to curate my “real life”, but above all else, it is just fucking exhausting.

2025 Was Oddly Spiritual

Raise your hand if you hired an Etsy witch this year? Okay, raise your hand if you considered or researched. My hand is awkwardly raised. If this tells me one thing, it is that the uncertainty has gotten to us so much that we would rather ask for a magical assist than be left in the dark.

But if we dive deeper and actually consider the spirituality behind it, it gets interesting. We have left all logic at the door and entered the house of paranormal, and we feel right at home. Where I’m from, we’ve been doing hex preventions and energy cleanses for a while, so it’s nothing new. Glad to see you all finally caught up.

Even without the Etsy witch stuff, which is still often seen more as a gag than an actual solution to outside variables affecting our lives, we have gotten more in touch with our spiritual side. Things like meditation, astral projection, energetic frequencies, and house cleanses, which used to be reserved for deeper discussions and often looked down upon by the non-believers, are now a much bigger part of our everyday lexicon.

If five years ago a response to my complaint of insomnia was met with “get some melatonin and fuck off”, now the response is a gentle “maybe you need to sage your house and realign your energy flow”.

Since, along with being spiritual, 2025 is also performative, I really can’t tell how much of it is people gaining actual insight and how much is them just constructing a personality trait because they saw Erykah Badu has a sound bowl. But we move.

2025 Was One Step Forward Two Steps Back (But At Least It Was One Step Forward)

With female fashion pioneers, more film and TV representation and cultural discussions rooted in the actual desire to grow and learn, we also get things like, whatever the fuck crack US has been on this year. So the speed we move in appears to be very “oh my god, guys, too much progress, let’s chill.” Case in point: we got Sinners, and then we got big publications bashing it for flopping at the box office on opening week (it really didn’t).

We get women and minorities finally sharing their stories, but then we get 100 people trying to discourage them and, for lack of better words, chat shit. It appears that the other side of the internet coin is having strange (truly strange) humans choose violence for no apparent reason.

But since we’re all in a festive mood, let’s try to stay positive. Although the progress is skewed, it’s still progress. The good we share seems to contradict the horror (mostly). And even if balance is not a step forward, it’s still not a step back.

If we look at the facts of the world, it makes total sense. As soon as there is a force pulling the world into one direction, an opposing force will be born to restore the balance. As the voices telling long-overdue, important stories grow louder, so do the voices of those trying to discredit them. It’s just why do these voices have to be so fucking obnoxious? And why are they trying to convince everyone susceptible enough to listen that people simply sharing their stories is an immediate threat to their existence (lol, it’s not)? Why are we all left arguing human rights with our aunties over a roasted turkey? Girl, two months ago, you didn’t give two shits about any of this. Relax and eat your food.

2025 Was Still Full of Innovation and Resistance

Guys! Listen! There’s still hope. We have been through, well, a lot, but we have been through it together. Communities, whether online or in-person, have been built and made stronger in the fires of whatever that other part of the internet has been throwing out. This year, I have seen people seek out meaningful connections, listen to each other, see the good in each other, and help, always help, whether it’s by donating to a campaign or saying a kind word.

Also, Zohran was elected, which is just amazing and an incredible step in the right direction both politically and socially. So if not for anything else, let’s be grateful 2025 gave us that.

This roundup was mostly based on internet experiences of 2025. I guess that’s the common theme that unites us over the years, so yeah, online culture. I guess we can use it to our advantage. There’s also AI, which is getting really crazy, but at least now we don’t have to write emails anymore. So you know, good things.

To wrap it up, yes, the world is burning, but at least we won’t freeze, and we’ll be together.

So 2026?

So what does it all mean? And how is it different from whatever we were up to last year? I am not so sure myself. We are still chronically online, guided by algorithms, incredibly susceptible, and weirdly apathetic. Yet we are still deeply unserious, and perhaps that is our saving grace. If there is one thing we can say for certain, it is that our inability to go through a historical event without making a meme out of it is coming with us to 2026.

When the world seems bleak, we turn to humour, and honestly, it’s uniting. And now, once again, instead of the plague, we have the internet, a place that often makes us never want to log in again, but a place where we can find some light, some stories, some love. We all know we won’t stop being always on one and fucking unserious, so let’s just use it to our advantage. In 2026, though. For the last hours of 2025, let’s just vibe, binge eat, and reflect.

*If there are typos or discrepancies in this story, I truly apologise. I am drunk while I’m editing this. To be honest, I’ve been drunk since, like, December 23rd.