The Great Meme Reset of 2026

Slate Culture Gabfest | Jan 16

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by meme historian Aidan Walker to discuss “the great meme reset.” Internet users, exhausted by social media brain rot, declared January 1, 2026 as an official “reset.” They want a clean slate, and most importantly, to return to the meme style of the 2010s—back when memes had “substance.” But can we really go back? Or is it time to imagine what a post-brain rot world can look like?

This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, and Kate Lindsay with help from Kevin Bendis.

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