2025 hit the ground running early this year. From senseless tragedy to unprecedented weather, January 2025 almost feels like it’s been a whole year by itself.

Every January, when the Gulf South Index team sits down to write our first article of the year, we think of emerging trends, events on the horizon we’re looking forward to and the general sentiment of consumers entering a new year.

As we write this from a snowed-in, slowing thawing New Orleans, this year didn’t begin as planned – and we have a lot more to go. From the good to the bad to the uncertain, 2025 will keep us on our toes.

Holding Our Attention

Our news cycle never stops. Breaking news on Monday is old by Thursday, replaced by the next big story capturing our attention. And while we can’t predict yet what the rest of 2025 will bring, just look at Axios’ graph charting Google’s 2024 search trends. From January to December, attention-demanding topics were constantly shifting – a trend we’re already seeing repeat itself in 2025.

January 31, 2024, less than 365 days ago. Some of our biggest topics of discussion – what most people were googling – feel ages away. And by halfway through the year, online discussion of those topics had almost completely died down. No matter how unprecedented our current events may seem – our attention spans can’t help but shift quickly. Even much of 2024’s year-end news feels like old news now.

Has It Always Been This Way? The news has always focused on the next big thing. That’s nothing new. But the advent of social media and smart phones has everyone ingesting more information than ever at a higher rate. In the 2024 Gulf South Index by The Ehrhardt Group and Causeway Solutions, 52% of the Gulf South and 47% national spend more than four hours a day on their phone. With so much time on our screens, it’s no surprise our attentions are always shifting.

***

Long Live TikTok (Maybe?)

What generation you belong to might determine whether this is good news or bad news, but the facts are clear: influencers are not going anywhere – but the platform many of them conduct business through, might.

Influencer Frenzy: Approximately 1 in 5 Americans regularly get their news from news influencers on social media, according to Pew Research Center, especially those under 30. No matter their controversy, most people are looking to influencers as at least one of their main sources of information.

TikTok Takedown: One of the main platforms where influencers have found success remains one of the most controversial, as well. After a less than 24 hour shut down in the U.S., TikTok service was restored to statewide users. According to 17% of those in another recent study by Pew Research Center, TikTok has a negative impact on democracy. 34% believe it to be positive, and 49% say it has no impact. And though it’s future remains uncertain, an app used by over 170 million Americans will certainly continue to make waves in our culture, whether it stays or goes.

    ***

    Keeping What Matters Close

    “Uncertainty” might be the defining word of the 2020s. It can be difficult keeping track of what’s most important as our lives become more and more muddled.

    But family beats every category in terms of importance. Seventy-seven percent of the Gulf South and 67% nationally say family is very important, along with 41% and 35% who feel the same about community, and 50% and 39% who say religion is very important. Our shared values continue to connect us and show that even in uncertain times, even in difficult stretches, we have a lot more in common than we do different.

    ***

    When Gallup asked respondents about their predictions for 2025, “a somewhat challenging year ahead for the country” was their headline. Sixty-seven percent predict a troubled year, 76% predict political conflict, 47% predict prices will rise at a high rate, and the list goes on. On the other side, Gallup also predicts some hopeful outlooks for the year. Sixty-six percent expect stock market gains and 52% a fall in crime rates. The headline of their article reads: “Americans Predict Challenges in 2025, With a Few Bright Spots”

    Like Gallup’s poll, whether 2025 turns out good or bad might depend on who you ask – just as the answer to “How was your January?” might vary from person to person. There’s a lot of history behind us already in 2025. No matter what gets thrown at us next, we have to stay in it for the long haul, relying on the people and organizations we trust to help us make it through.

    Marc Ehrhardt
    President
    The Ehrhardt Group