At the time of this writing, the latest “war” being waged over what’s cool and what’s not is about how tall your socks are. Ankle socks: OUT. Old. Uncool and millennial, apparently. Crew socks: IN. Evolved. Rebellious (???). The preferred sock for Gen Z, some are saying. Does it matter if any of this is empirically true? No! But manufactured generational warfare is probably selling a lot of crew socks right now.
The Verge’s summer ‘in’ / ‘out’ list
Just having fun while we make this website.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
The Verge’s summer ‘in’ / ‘out’ list
Just having fun while we make this website.
is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.
The lifecycle of trends has never been shorter — current fads disappear as quickly as they bubble up. When anyone can prompt a discourse or viral feud, no trend ends up mattering much in the long run. So here’s The Verge staff taking a temperature on what’s hot and what’s not. Maybe some of this will catch on. And I’m sorry if any of it hurts your feelings.
Mia Sato, reporter:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Voice memo texts | Voicemail |
| Portable fans | Climate change |
| Digital cameras (watch this space…) | Film cameras |
| The court of public opinion | The Supreme Court |
| Curators | Influencers |
| Tennis | Pickleball (always) |
Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| The New York Times Connections game | The New York Times crossword |
| Blurple | Camo print |
| Also: AI-generated images Also: hating on AI-generated images | ChatGPT |
| Department of Justice Antitrust Division | The Supreme Court |
| Flying in planes with holes in them | Rockets, space tourism |
Elizabeth Lopatto, senior writer:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Copyright law | Contract law |
| Cat | Cat |
| Delaware Chancery Court | The Supreme Court |
| Cat | Cat |
| Jeff Bezos | Elon Musk |
Jay Peters, news editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Ugly, customized iOS 18 homescreens | AI chatbots |
| Playing Elden Ring at a snail's pace | Margit the Fell Omen |
| Walking to farmers markets | Paying for expensive meals at crappy restaurants |
| Preparing to vote on Election Day | The minutiae of the presidential election. Turn off the TV, y'all. |
Andrew Hawkins, transportation editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Bikes | Any car |
| 2010s nostalgia | 2000s nostalgia |
| Carless drivers | Driverless cars |
| Congestion pricing | Fare hikes |
Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Intragenerational fighting | Extra-generational fighting |
| Surviving | Crossing the street with eyes on the phone |
| Tabletop game marathons | Video game marathons |
| Screw you, I'm wearing a mask | Mask embarrassment |
Tristan Cooper, social media manager:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Streaming TV shows with weekly episodes | Streaming TV shows that drop all at once |
| Buying new video games | Finishing games I already own |
| Electric mowers | Smelly, hand-numbing gas mowers |
| Marvel Snap | Marvel Snap after I lose one time |
| The sleepy cat at the hardware store | The Supreme Court |
Kevin Nguyen, features editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Movies | TV shows |
| Saving your best jokes for the group chat | Posting on social media |
| Cheap Chinese handhelds | Steam Deck |
| Buying WAV files | Streaming music |
| Keeping your phone in a tote / purse | The weird outline of your phone in your pants pocket |
Cath Virginia, senior designer:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Gel X | Nail polish |
| Sewing your own clothes | Buying clothes |
| Gluttony | Ozempic |
| Line dancing | FOMO |
| Brat | The Supreme Court |
Sean Hollister, senior editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Transparent gadgets | Aluminum gadgets |
| Begging Microsoft to make an Xbox handheld | Begging Sony to make a PlayStation handheld |
| Feeding the AI | Privacy |
| TOPS | GHz |
| 3D-printing a new Dyson button | Swearing at your broken Dyson button |
Allison Johnson, writer; mom to a toddler:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Robots | robots.txt |
| Steam engines | Search engines |
| Mac and cheese | Mac or PC |
| Construction sites | Websites |
| Paw Patrol-ing | Doomscrolling |
Jess Weatherbed, news writer:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Individually consuming “family-sized” snack bags in one sitting | Single-use vapes |
| TikTok drag queen educators in STEM | The Duolingo bird |
| Chris Pine | Chris Pratt |
| Extremely sapphic pop music | Misappropriation of the term “punk” |
| Orange lipstick (it’s her time) | Washed-out beauty filters |
Esther Cohen, associate director of audience development; pop culture connoisseur:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| The Rabbit | The Rabbit |
| The first half of Bridgerton S3 | Second half of Bridgerton S3 |
| Asking tech CEOs to sign your body | Throwing things at performers onstage |
| Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott at the Eras Tour | Tom Cruise at the Eras Tour |
Alex Heath, deputy editor:
IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| TV shows that are 40 min or less | All the others |
| Deepfakes | Pretending you’re worried about deepfakes |
| Bumping iPhones to exchange contacts | Exchanging social media handles |
| Gas cars | EVs |
| Cash-back credit cards | Credit card points |
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