2016 saw many short-lived trends come and go, including dabbing, Daaaamn Daniel, and the UK's membership of the European Union. The following is a recap of the zeitgeist, and some forecasts for where the new year may take us.

Memes

Perhaps the defining meme of 2016 was Harambe. Originally born out of ironic outrage at the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla shooting, the joke quickly spiralled out of control. Harambe was adopted by every faction of society – it was the go-to joke for frat boys; it was appropriated by the alt-right; it gave us all an excuse to pose next to gorillas in zoos and natural history museums. As a New Year’s resolution, we can all agree that it is time to end Harambe memes; every new iteration only drives his gorilla carcass deeper into the ground.

In keeping with the general climate, memes also took on a political tinge in 2016. The presidential election of Donald Trump prompted a tidal wave of Obama-Biden memes spurred on by pre-emptive nostalgia for their heartwarming bromance (the only good and pure policy decision to come out of the White House). During the democratic primaries, voters used memes to explore Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton’s different hypothetical takes on important cultural issues, ranging from Radiohead to the question of which direction loo paper should face on the toilet roll.

Prediction: If 2016 was the year of meme irony, then 2017 is the year of ironic irony. As any mathematician will tell you, two negatives make a positive, bringing us into the era of meme sincerity. What began as ironic commentary on the malaise and nihilism of modern youth will evolve into nourishing and heartwarming memes aiming to undo a year’s (read: lifetime’s) worth of emotional damage. Wholesome meme pages are due to gain traction, phasing out the depressing meme to be replaced by its supportive, encouraging cousin.

Chokers

They say the best art emerges from times of the greatest strife. The choker made a robust comeback in fashion this year, no doubt as a physicalisation of the oppressive grip of sexism, capitalism, and right-wing extremism that had us all in its chokehold. The art form blossomed with urgent fervour, akin to that of the spread of Dadaism in World War I. Chokers were sported by underage clubbers, students in lectures and attendees of black-tie galas alike, demonstrating the universality of our protest against the world’s injustices.

Prediction: As our continued subordination to the oppressive forces of evil persists, artistic expression will veer to the extreme. We will move from the choker to the dog collar, then to the accessorial neck brace, then finally to the dog cone, a powerful symbol of disease and social stigmatisation.

Social media trends

Staring into the unforgiving face of warfare, pestilence, and celebrity death, the world’s population found strength in unity this year, bound together by the common language of social media challenges. The Mannequin Challenge had people standing stock still whilst a roving cameraman moved through the scene like a journey through a live-action Renaissance painting. No scenario was left untouched – from family reunions to late nights in the college library to messy pre-drinks in dimly-lit rooms, the challenge worked for just about everybody. The movement reached its apex when Hillary Clinton (with a guest appearance from Bon Jovi) performed the Mannequin Challenge on an airplane on Election Day. Mrs Clinton’s submission ended with the words “Don’t stand still. Vote today”, and thus formed a beautiful, synergistic nexus between Internet culture and political opportunism.

Pokémon Go

It seems like forever ago, but for a time, the world was briefly and intensely infatuated with Pokémon Go. Pre-schoolers, revered academics, students and local drunks were all hooked. Millennial vampires saw the sun for the first time in years while out on Pokéwalks, and people visited the tourist attractions of their own cities and towns for the first time in their lives. Ghost towns re-populated; friends reunited; new life was breathed into civilisation again. However, like all noble endeavours, blood was shed and lives were lost. Roused by the presence of Dragonites and/or region-exclusive breeds, people journeyed far and wide, trespassed, and even ran across busy streets to their deaths. What began as an ingenious outlet for childhood nostalgia eventually lost its hype, and despite futile attempts to keep the game alive, Pokémon Go has now gone gentle into that good night. We are unlikely to see it again in 2017.

Food

2016 was the year that comfort food became sexy. Social media became a veritable cinema of slow-motion footage featuring cheese melting sensually onto piles of chips, brownies oozing fudge, crispy bacon sizzling in vats of its own grease… The key purveyors of comfort food pornography – namely BuzzFeed Food, Tasty, INSIDER food, et al. – inundated us with birds-eye tabletop videos of DIY comfort food recipes, all featuring obscene and medically inadvisable quantities of shredded cheese, set to the tune of upbeat, royalty-free ukulele music.

Memebridge: dank memes or dark feelings?

Prediction: Although these pages very well could recycle their cheese and pre-packaged pizza dough content, in apprehension of an inevitable study showing a positive correlation between cheese consumption and bad grades, they will look to diversify. Truffles are their next victims. We can expect to see the likes of Truffle Toast, Truffle Infused Smoothies, Truffle Frozen Yoghurt, and potentially mason jars full of Truffle Foam flood our Instagram feeds. Doritos, already a comfort food staple, will rise to the fore in the more evolved form of Dorito Dust; we will see it sprinkled liberally over almost everything – burgers, hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee... Humanity won’t have finished squeezing every last drop out of the humble avocado either, and will seize upon the avocado pit – the last untapped resource of this sacred fruit. Somewhere out there, someone is already trying to brew avocado pit tea, and sadly, it may actually catch on.

Entertainment

James Corden pulled out all the stops for Carpool Karaoke in 2016, hitting the star-power jackpot with celebrity guests like Michelle Obama, Mariah Carey, and Adele. What goes up must come down, though, and 2017 will be the year that James Corden runs out of celebrities.

Prediction: Lacking any guests stars of adequate calibre, James Corden will resort to upgrading his carpool vehicle instead. We can expect to see groundbreaking new material on the Late Late Show, with segments like ‘James Corden Floats in Zero Gravity with the MP of Little Whinging’ or ‘James Corden Sings I Need You with N-Dubz Aboard the International Space Station.’

If the fads of the past year tell us anything, it is that we respond best to adversity by retreating into ironic humour, nostalgia, and bizarre practices to distract us from the horrors of reality. With this skill set in tow, I think we can handle a bit of 2017