December wouldn’t be complete without the Werth team’s Fearless Forecast for 2025. Check out what we see coming in the year ahead, and don’t miss our self-assessment on last year’s predictions. We still have a few days to go for that happy ending!
1. Brands will disinvest in social media. The 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner portrays the future of downtown Los Angeles, covered in neon lights of unlimited ads and messages. Social media channels are quickly becoming the LA of a dystopian future, and our own social posts are the overwhelming advertising. Consider that brands spend anywhere from a few hours to a full day to produce a single social media video, not to mention layers of internal review and approval. When everyone looks the same, does the same thing and is competing for the same small bits of attention, leaders are going to ask: What are we getting from social media, and how can we move away from the noise to more personal communications? In 2025, there will be a measurable shift away from social media, and more focus on thoughtful one-to-one and one-to-few communications where costs might be higher, but the returns are much greater and more measurable.
2. Gov. DeWine will appoint Ohio’s first woman U.S. Senator. To replace Vice President-elect JD Vance, Gov. DeWine will make history by choosing Jane Timken to be the first woman to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Timken has credibility both with pre-MAGA (she was endorsed by Rob Portman in the 2022 primary — won by Vance — for his Senate seat) and a modern-day Republican (she was chosen to chair the Ohio Republican Party in 2016 as a Trump loyalist). This makes her a relatively safe choice who could survive an election — both a primary and a general — in 2026. However, not to be overlooked include Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development, and Ohio State Senator Michele Reynolds, two up-and-coming shining stars in the state Republic Party.
3. Reddit will become a Top 5 platform. Doomscrolling has taken its toll. As social media platforms become more saturated with content, users may feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and conflicting perspectives. This could make curated environments, like those on Reddit, feel more manageable. Users can dive into subreddits where the content is more predictable and aligned with their values, reducing the cognitive load of constantly engaging with new or opposing views. While this move toward more curated spaces could be seen as a retreat from open dialogue, it may also represent a desire for more meaningful, manageable engagement with others. Over time, as people spend more time in echo chambers, the challenge will be balancing the need for diverse perspectives where healthy debate can still occur without polarizing society further.
4. Return of the king. Akron native LeBron James will forgo his contractual option to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season and instead sign a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played as a rookie in 2003 and won a championship in 2016. James will be lured back to northeast Ohio not just by the opportunity to end his career where it began, but also the opportunity to win a championship with a squad that is already very good without him. Construction of the statue outside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will commence forthwith.
5. AI goes from buzzword to background. In 2025, the relentless buzz surrounding AI will begin to subside. While the technology will continue to advance at a breakneck pace, its ubiquity will shift perceptions. As AI becomes seamlessly integrated into everyday tools and services, it will transition from a flashy novelty to a fundamental component of modern life. The oversaturation of AI marketing jargon will reach a tipping point. Consumers, weary of the constant hype, will demand tangible benefits rather than empty promises, and Businesses that prioritize substance over sensationalism will thrive. AI-powered solutions will become so commonplace that their presence will be taken for granted. As AI matures, it will move beyond stand-alone applications and become an essential ingredient in a broader technological ecosystem. The line between human and machine intelligence will blur, leading to a new era of collaborative innovation.*
*This prediction was written by AI.
6. The Oasis reunion will end early. Oasis, the British fraternal duo that became pop music superstars in the mid-1990s, have scheduled an already-sold-out world tour for the summer and autumn months of 2025. A nosebleed seat at the Aug. 28 show at Chicago’s Soldier Field can be yours for only $309 on StubHub. That’s not a risk-free purchase, however, the famously incompatible brothers Gallagher will be on each other’s last nerve by then. But we think that show will go on, and the tour will last all the way until Halloween at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, where Liam will insult Noel’s “shite guitar playing,” Noel will call Liam a “pillock” and the two will come to blows. The rest of the tour will be canceled, but the Gallaghers will reconcile in time for Christmas Day because, after all, they don’t look back in anger.