TikTok says the era of 'delulu' is over. It's time to lock in to reality.
Maladaptive daydreamers, I have some bad news. TikTok just released its annual TikTok Next trend forecast for marketers in 2026, and the headline takeaway is blunt: fantasy is out — and reality is in.
In TikTok's telling, 2026 will be less about fantasizing your way out of life and more about intentionally engaging with it. After years dominated by "romanticizing," "delulu," and digital escapism, users are shifting toward discipline, routine, and shared accountability as ways to cope with an increasingly unstable world.
TikTok frames this moment as a turn toward collective processing of life's chaos. Instead of aestheticizing adulthood from afar, users are documenting what it actually takes to get through it. Trends like #TheGreatLockIn, alongside rising keywords such as #lockedin, #hygiene, and #joblife, point to a growing appetite for structure, maintenance, and realism.
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This doesn't mean joy is gone. It means joy is being redefined. Rather than cinematic fantasies or perfectly curated lives, users are finding satisfaction in progress, consistency, and small, tangible wins. Content that acknowledges both the highs and the lows, and finds humor in imperfection, is now resonating more deeply than polished escapism.
In other words, the fantasy era may be coming to an end, but reality is gaining its own aesthetic. And daydreamers, look, we still have Heated Rivalry. That counts for something.
Topics TikTok
Crystal Bell is the Culture Editor at Mashable. She oversees the site's coverage of the creator economy, digital spaces, and internet trends, focusing on how young people engage with others and themselves online. She is particularly interested in how social media platforms shape our online and offline identities.
She was formerly the entertainment director at MTV News, where she helped the brand expand its coverage of extremely online fan culture and K-pop across its platforms. You can find her work in Teen Vogue, PAPER, NYLON, ELLE, Glamour, NME, W, The FADER, and elsewhere on the internet.
She's exceptionally fluent in fandom and will gladly make you a K-pop playlist and/or provide anime recommendations upon request. Crystal lives in New York City with her two black cats, Howl and Sophie.
