The Verge’s annual summer in and out list is back, and as usual, it reads like a group chat that somehow escaped into public view. That is part of the fun. The list is not a boardroom forecast or a polished trend report. It is a snapshot of what tech and culture writers are actually noticing: the gadgets people are tired of, the wellness obsessions taking over, and the internet behaviors that suddenly feel embarrassing.
For 2026, the mood is especially pointed. AI fatigue is everywhere, merch is getting judged harder than ever, and even touching grass is not safe from being declared out.
The Verge 2026 Summer Trends List Captures Peak AI Exhaustion
The clearest thread running through this year’s list is that people are increasingly suspicious of tech that feels creepy, performative, or overbuilt. Mia Sato’s picks sum it up neatly: motion sickness glasses are in, while AI pervert glasses are out.
That contrast says a lot. Practical, low-drama tech still has a place. A gadget that solves a real annoyance, like queasiness during travel, can win people over. But wearable AI that makes bystanders wonder whether they are being recorded, analyzed, or turned into training data? That is a much harder sell.
The broader 2026 tech trend is not anti-innovation. It is anti-weirdness-without-consent. Consumers are getting better at spotting the difference between useful technology and surveillance dressed up as convenience.
Fiber Is In, Protein Is Out: Wellness Culture Gets a Reset
One of the funniest swaps on The Verge’s summer list is fiber in, protein out. For years, protein has been the main character of wellness marketing: shakes, bars, powders, high-protein cereal, high-protein coffee, high-protein everything.
Now fiber is having its moment, partly because it feels less gym-bro and more actually practical. It is not flashy, and that may be the point. The internet’s health conversation is moving away from pure optimization and toward basics that make daily life feel better.
In other words, the summer wellness trend is less about looking like you live at the squat rack and more about admitting your stomach has political opinions.
Bootleg Sports Merch Beats Official Tech Company Merch
Another sharp read from the list: bootleg sports merch is in, official tech company merch is out. This one feels painfully accurate. A weird, unofficial shirt bought outside an arena has charm. It has a story. It may be badly printed, but at least it has a soul.
Official tech company merch, on the other hand, often carries the energy of a conference tote bag that somehow became a hoodie. In 2026, people want clothes that signal taste, humor, fandom, or local chaos. They do not want to look like they are beta-testing a rebrand.
This fits a bigger fashion and internet culture shift: authenticity, or at least convincing fake authenticity, is beating sterile corporate polish.
Floating in Water Is In, Touching Grass Is Out
The Verge list also gives us one of the best seasonal contradictions: floating in water is in, touching grass is out. The joke works because touching grass has become less of a sincere suggestion and more of an insult tossed around online when someone is too consumed by discourse.
Floating, though, feels different. It is offline without being preachy. You do not have to self-improve. You do not have to post a productivity lesson afterward. You can simply bob around and let your brain stop buffering for a few minutes.
That may be the defining summer 2026 vibe: people are not rejecting the internet entirely. They are just looking for breaks that do not come with moral homework.
Why Annual In and Out Lists Still Work
Trend lists can be silly, but The Verge’s version works because it does not pretend to be scientific. It is a cultural temperature check from people who spend their days watching tech, entertainment, media, and internet habits collide.
The 2026 list suggests a public that is more skeptical of AI hype, less impressed by corporate branding, and more interested in small pleasures that feel human. If last year’s internet was about optimizing everything, this summer’s mood is about opting out selectively.
So what is really in? Useful gadgets, weird merch, digestive honesty, and bodies of water. What is out? Creepy AI, over-marketed protein, soulless swag, and being told to go outside by someone who has been arguing on the same app for nine hours.
Tags: #TheVerge #SummerTrends2026 #TechTrends #InternetCulture #AIWearables
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