John Battelle's Search Blog Predictions 2026: The Full List
Ten summarized John Battelle predictions to ease you into the New Year. I think "The Feed Declines" is an interesting one. People want to connect and the feeds are so completely full of corn syrup at this point, including AI-powered cat videos, and our politics and culture are so atomized, that I would expect some kind of counter-movement. People just seem to be miserable with and on the platforms, while group and signal chats are hopping. It's tricky, right? BlueSky is crossing 42 million people, which is a lot. But my guess is that most of the networks that are growing are growing in odder pockets and corners than before, because the experience of being online, very often, is depressing and sucks, whereas talking with your friends is still fun and feels good, especially as the world seems intent on self-immolation. Ultimately I think this is a good thing. The group chat is going to lead to healthier societies than the social feed. https://lnkd.in/gSr8MSvz