As a new decade comes upon us, we want to pay final tributes to a few social trends of 2019 that should be left in the previous decade and forever forgotten. They were wonderful memes during a trying year of #FakeNews and unfortunate Super Bowl ads. And yes, they probably sparked joy in difficult times (Spoiler alert: Remember that reference.) But trends are a fast-paced game, and you need to know when it’s time to let go.

Remember the Tide Pod eating challenge captured on almost every social media channel? Never should have happened. Mostly for health reasons. And the Kylie Jenner lip challenge of 2015? Thank goodness it stayed in 2015. Also for health reasons. And last, but certainly not least, let us forever forget the glitter bomb challenges that overtook Instagram stories in 2018. We still grab our vacuum every time we see a sparkle of glitter out of our peripherals.

With those memories suppressed way, way down in our minds, let’s look at what trends are dead or dying before the end of 2019, so you can start the new decade without the old trends.

Apologies in advance if you see a favorite, but consider this your wake up call.

“OK Boomer”

Listen, fellow youths, this was great while it lasted. We had a full – oh, I don’t know – three weeks utilizing this retort before the New York Times blew up our spot and ruined it for everyone. Once older generations knew this was a trend, it jumped the shark. And when FOX officially trademarked "OK, Boomer" it was a dead meme walking.

Marie Kondo

Including my favorite organizational wizard in this list does not spark joy. Marie Kondo helped a lot of people get rid of a lot of clutter. She established her whole brand around throwing out stuff you don’t need and living a simpler lifestyle. That is, until she recently opened her own store. You know, a nice, clutter-free, basic store where you can buy a $156 cheese knife. Don’t expect a lot of love for Kondo in 2020 after this flip flop.

Likes

Well, maybe not completely, but maybe-kinda completely? Time will tell. Instagram and Facebook are experimenting with hiding how many “likes” a post receives. This means only the user who posted the content will be able to see how many likes their post received. Like-less posts could make it harder for influencers to court brands, because it’ll be harder to prove how much engagement they’re getting. But if you’re a brand reading this, don’t sweat. Marketers are finding that a high number of “likes” doesn’t correlate to an increase in sales, so a ‘like’-less future is un-’like’-ly to hurt sales.

Rainbow Foods

How do you ruin FOOD? Like bagels? If this trend isn’t dead in 2020, I’m deleting my Instagram app. (Hey @instagram, I’m just joking. I’d never do you like that, baby.)

Going Live

Gone are the days of users “going live” on their phone – often when they’re in front of me in line at a coffee shop, for whatever reason. But the age of Twitch and Mixer is just beginning. Streaming has been elevated to an art form that’s worth big bucks, with the most popular creators having a dedicated space to create high-level content, and streaming at specific times of day so consumers can consistently tune in.

Keep an eye on streaming platforms, and expect social media users to start changing their streaming game. It’s no longer enough to “go live” and talk to your followers. This is now a competitive field. So bring your A-game.