More on this trend can be found in our Top Trends 2025 report. Click ‘Download PDF’ for the full report.

Bored of “more of the same,” people have an increased desire to puncture through the algorithmic lull and regain a sense of intrigue.

69% of US adults are tired of their social media feeds showing the same content over and over.*

The Culture Shift:

The fashion industry is often a bellwether for broader culture, an avant-garde starting point for shifts in the zeitgeist before they take hold. This year, fashion houses put forth collections that were described as distorted, freaky, and just plain weird. They played with luxe and lowbrow, oversized and skintight, past and present, in what seemed like a wheel of chance. But this was not by chance. Bored of “more of the same,” people are starting to question the concept of algorithms since they are programmed to work one way for everyone. The fashion industry’s intentional randomization is a commentary on the desire to puncture through the algorithmic lull and regain a sense of intrigue. The desire for things that turn heads and make you think, ask questions and connect the dots will be mandatory in 2025.

• “TikTok Algorithm Reset” saw a 52% increase in search interest over the past 6 months** and is a rising search term as people seek to give their ‘For You Page’ a fresh start. A feature introduced in 2023 allows them to do this in the app settings.

How It Will Impact Brands in 2025:

In the coming year, brands will have an opportunity to test their elasticity. Thoughtfully playing with scale, chronology, tone and hierarchy will help brands not just grab attention for attention’s sake but to draw people into a world that is playfully unexpected and highly intriguing.

Cultural Signals:

• TERRA is a pocket-sized, AI-powered device designed for mindful wandering without reliance on phones. It creates personalized trails using GPS, based on your intentions, time, and location, guiding you through your journey with a simple compass interface and haptic feedback. TERRA promotes exploration while ensuring you always return to your starting point, blending technology and mindfulness.

• People are turning to randomized sources of inspiration like #randommakeup filters on TikTok, where beauty influencers let random TikTok filters choose their makeup looks for a creative and playful break from the norm — getting them millions of views in the process.

• The AI Sample Generator, developed by Modem and Bureau Cool for Teenage Engineering, transforms text prompts into custom audio samples using Meta’s Audiocraft. Users can input descriptions like “shredding guitar riff” to generate unique samples, which can then be downloaded for music creation. The tool offers two modes based on user proficiency, Rookie and Free Fight, allowing musicians to quickly generate, transfer, and sequence audio samples to create brand-new beats rooted in the familiar.

Download the full report below.

*Source: Horizon Media Finger on the Pulse. Survey Fielded 10/16/24 – 10/22/24; n=1,005

**Data collected from Google Trends in October 2024.