Picture: AdobeStock // bibin & diujungari
It is that time of year again, when we look back at the previous year and reflect on the journey we have shared. 2025 has been a challenging year for many and can perhaps be best described by the word “turbulent”. There was a staggering amount of activity on the world stage, creating a sense of a world in dismay. Some countries elected new leaders, others were battered by air strikes or aggressive trade tariffs, and the digital landscape shifted beneath our feet. We became even more “online” than ever before, to the point where the world feels fundamentally different than what it was merely a few years ago.
It is always difficult to select the “most interesting” moments for a single article, but this review attempts to capture the defining and noteworthy moments of 2025. In the spirit of balance, this review has tried to include positive moments from culture, society, and media to provide some light amidst the overwhelmingly negative news cycle.
Global News and Politics
The year started with a great shift in global power as Donald Trump returned to the White House after a spectacular political comeback, becoming the 47th president of the United States. Supported by a strong and determined base, the MAGA movement, and a new coalition of Big Tech billionaires, Trump returned with a mandate that felt stronger than ever. His administration moved with unprecedented speed, signing 142 executive orders in his first 100 days, a record for any US president, with the total reaching 225 by year’s end.
Trump’s first year back was marked by constant controversy, sweeping immigration restrictions, creating new conflict and the introduction of massive trade tariffs. He managed to totally disrupt US foreign policy, withdrawing from decades-old treaties, and essentially dismantling established international norms from the inside. Other noteworthy US events included the assassination of Charlie Kirk and massive ICE raids on immigrants that, in several instances, involved the deployment of the military and National Guard. Simultaneously, the release of thousands of new documents and evidence in the Jeffrey Epstein case kept the public eye fixed on systemic corruption in the US.
However, the US narrative was not entirely defined by a big move to the right. Toward the end of the year, Zohran Mamdani was elected as New York’s new mayor, becoming the first Muslim and social democrat to take office in the city’s history. He campaigned on a platform of rent freezes, universal childcare, and green infrastructure, promising a better future built on multiracial, working-class coalitions.
On the global stage, conflict remained a devastating reality for many. Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar showed no signs of ending, while attacks on Iran and Yemen further destabilized the Middle East. We also saw a Cambodia-Thailand clash and major protests in Nepal, led by Generation Z and funnily enough, coordinated through Discord.
Despite this violence, 2025 was a massive year for democracy, with 69 elections taking place globally. In Norway, the Labour Party (Ap) successfully defended its position. Jonas Gahr Støre was re-elected as Prime Minister, largely bolstered by the “Stoltenberg wave” as Jens Stoltenberg returned to domestic politics after his tenure as NATO Secretary General. On the other end of the spectrum, the Progress Party (FrP) achieved its highest voter share in history at nearly 24%, while the Centre Party (Sp) crashed to a record low of 5.6%.
The year also brought significant changes to traditional institutions. On Easter Monday, Pope Francis died at the age of 88, marking the end of his transformative 12-year papacy. In May, the world watched as white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel to announce Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever American-born Pope. It was also a landmark year for women, Sarah Mullally was named the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury (the first woman to lead the Church in its 500-year history), while Sanae Takaichi became Japan’s first female Prime Minister. Finally, in a moment of Norwegian national pride, Jannicke Mikkelsen officially became the first Norwegian citizen and woman in space.
Society
In a year defined by political instability and rapid digital expansion, society started pushing back, seeking more control, stability and a return to more traditional or “grounded” values. This was perhaps best reflected in the rise of conservatism and far-right politics, particularly on social media. Across Europe, far-right parties recorded some of their strongest results ever, including second place finishes in both the German and Norwegian federal elections.
This conservative wave was particularly visible among young men. Influenced by conservative content creators and trends like the “tradwife” movement, many young people appear to be reacting to the uneasy times, growing violence, and the increasing wealth gap. This yearning for a simpler past was mirrored in one of the year’s dominant lifestyle trends: escapism.
Escapism, a way to distract oneself from unpleasant realities through entertainment or imagination, became almost a daily necessity. This was evident in trends such as “staycations,” “coolcations,” and a broader emphasis on “slow living” and authenticity over grandeur. Just as we saw during the pandemic, people in 2025 tried to escape their struggles by hiding behind a more comfortable, analog “blanket”.
Of course, no discussion of society in 2025 would be complete without mentioning AI. This was the year AI stopped being a “party trick” and became the invisible backbone of our daily life. It was integrated into core business processes, and AI-generated video began appearing everywhere, making it increasingly difficult to discern reality from AI-slob. This rapid adoption sparked massive conversations about the future of work and the reimagining of global economies. Yet, many companies faced backlash for their over-reliance on AI that often produces questionable or biased results. If 2024 was the year we stood in awe of what machines could do, 2025 was the year we started worrying about what they were doing to us.
Culture and Art
The cultural landscape of 2025 was markedly different from that of the previous year, reflecting all this uncertainty and negativity. While 2024 was the year of big events and monoculture, where a few massive events like Brat Summer or The Eras Tour grabbed the entire world’s attention, 2025 definitely felt more “fractured”. Art became more tactile, honest, and niche. If 2024 was a giant megaphone, 2025 was more like a fading echo.
In the world of TV and cinema, major studios played it safe by doubling down on nostalgia and massive IP brands. White Lotus Season 3 brought back its unique brand of contemporary satire early in the year, while the summer was dominated by a reboot of the Superman franchise and the continued expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The end of the year brought back the popular Avatar franchise with its third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which made a billion dollars in just 18 days. Of course, we can’t forget about the Minecraft Movie, which only reflected the rising dominance of Generation Alpha at the box office. We also saw that video game adaptations can succeed, as the second season of The Last of Us earned critical acclaim.
One of the most significant television events of the decade occurred at the end of the year, when Stranger Things returned for its fifth and final season. It broke all the streaming records and crashed Netflix’s servers twice, yet it also received unprecedented backlash. The finale left audiences deeply polarized, with critics and fans alike debating the ending of the beloved series, with some even calling it “the worst series final since Game of Thrones”.
Musically, 2025 was a “tame” year compared to the massive releases of 2024. However, it was a year of justice for Beyoncé, who finally won her first “Album of the Year” Grammy for Cowboy Carter. Kendrick Lamar also swept the ceremony, winning five awards and dominating the Superbowl shortly after. Chappell Roan delivered one of the year’s most memorable moments during her Best New Artist acceptance speech, calling for better working conditions, gender equality and mental health support within the industry.
Nevertheless, the true global winner of 2025 was Latin-American music, which occupied half of the top 10 most-streamed tracks on Spotify. We also saw K-pop reach a new mainstream peak, largely thanks to the success of the Netflix film Kpop Demon Hunters, while BTS announced their highly anticipated return. However, music has also suffered significant losses. The “Prince of Darkness” and the godfather of heavy metal music, Ozzy Osbourne, passed away in July at the age of 76. Furthermore, an era ended on December 31st as MTV Music aired its final broadcast, fittingly closing with “Video Killed the Radio Star”, the same video that launched the channel in 1981.
Internet culture in 2025 was almost entirely defined by the rise of Generation Alpha. TikTok and YouTube feeds were flooded with “brainrot” content, so much so that Dictionary.com chose “67” as its word of the year. Trends ranged from Dubai chocolate, AI art and “aurafarming” to the return of Labubu plush toys. Some sociologists have even noted that these trends border on the legacy of the movements of postmodernism and absurdism, leaving us to wonder how philosophers such as Foucault or Baudrillard would interpret the “brainrot” of today.
What were some of the other big cultural moments of 2025? We saw a world where Katy Perry went into space, Lady Gaga held the biggest ever concert as a female artist (attracting over 2 million people in Rio de Janeiro), Taylor Swift got engaged to Travis Kelce, and the Louvre was robbed by a group using a furniture lift to steal $100 million in crown jewels. We have also learned that Sydney Sweeny has great jeans, that it is best not to cheat at a Coldplay concert, and of course, that “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday!”.
Looking forward to 2026
As we close the book on 2025, we are left with the image of a fragmented and chaotic world. Everything moves at such breakneck speeds that we barely find the time to slow down and breathe. The AI revolution, the weight of the political chaos, the constant noise of digital “brainrot,” and a pervasive sense of uncertainty have all contributed to an uneasy feeling that lingers at the back of our minds. What, then, can we expect and hope for in 2026?
While most of these trends show no signs of slowing down, that does not mean the future is hopeless. The world still has much to give, and there are still countless beautiful things worth living for. In a sea of digital AI-slob feeding the hungry algorithms, authenticity, realness, and human-made art will become the ultimate luxury, an increasingly rare and precious find. Perhaps 2026 is the time for all of us to claim that luxury for ourselves, seeking out the genuine connections and simple joys that remind us of our own humanity. Let us hope for a year that brings us more clarity, peace, and all the good things a person can hope for.
