Every January, the predictions come.
AI will do this. Crypto will do that. The next big thing will change everything.
But the most important shifts rarely make the prediction lists.
They're too quiet. Too gradual. Too boring to generate clicks.
Here's one worth watching:
People are getting better at saying no to technology.
Not rejecting it entirely — but being selective. Choosing tools that serve them instead of tools that demand their attention. Opting out of defaults. Questioning what they're asked to accept.
This isn't a movement with a name. It's just a slow, distributed recalibration.
Users are learning to ask: "Does this actually make my life better?"
And increasingly, the answer is shaping what survives.
The products that thrive won't be the loudest or the most feature-rich. They'll be the ones that pass that simple test.
A new year doesn't change everything. But the questions people ask are quietly shifting.
That's the trend worth noticing.