'In and Out' lists for 2024 are popping up across social media. But how did they start?

Even before the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, people on social media platforms were sharing Notes App screenshots of their “In and Out” lists for 2024. While the trend isn't new, it evolved from a newspaper column to an app format that pops up around the new year.

For the last few weeks, regular social media users and content creators alike have been sharing their 2024 predictions via In and Out lists. The lists are a mix of lighthearted jokes (“Trader Joe’s frozen section is out,” one TikToker declares) and personal preferences (“doom scrolling” is a popular “Out” entry). They’re not necessarily serious predictions for what’s to come in 2024, but for some seem to be more of a manifestation list.

“Unfortunately for everybody who didn’t ask, these are my 2024 in’s and out’s,” TikTok creator Mary Steven says in a video that’s since accumulated over 255,000 views. In it, she lists “being quiet at the movies” as in, while espresso martinis and using FaceTime are out. In another video with hundreds of thousands of views, creator Taylor Donoghue announced reading and self-tanner were in for 2024 and overthinking and low-rise socks were out.

There are some common themes throughout the lists that might be indicative of real trends people are gravitating toward in the new year. These include mentions of sobriety, wild colors in opposition to the “Beige Girl” trend, less phone usage and staying hydrated.

When did In/Out lists start?

The Washington Post launched arguably the first “in and out” column in its Style section in 1978. The paper’s fashion editor at the time, Nina Hyde, is credited with coming up with “The List,” which organizes people, places, things, trends and ideas as in alongside their out counterparts.

“The List” is always subjective — some entries may be influenced by actual trends going on, with links to the paper’s coverage. In contrast, others seemed influenced by the staff’s political preferences. (In the 2024 list, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is out and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is in.)

In and out lists have also been prevalent in pop culture for decades. In Lisi Harrison’s young adult series The Clique, the main character Massie Block updates readers with her “Current State of the Union” lists — which Odyssey took as inspiration for some of its news coverage recaps.

How are in/out lists different from New Year's resolutions?

In and out lists appear to have taken on the role of a written vision board for users. For example, “getting a bob haircut” isn’t a New Year’s resolution, but “French bobs” can be listed as in.

There can also be a little bit of poking fun at your past self in the out section. The lists are written as general statements, applicable to anyone, but ultimately are for the person writing them — allowing users and content creators to sneakily share what they’d like to improve upon in the new year in a way that won’t seem vulnerable or cringe.

“The cultural tide may be turning away from New Year's resolutions,” Alison Stine wrote recently in Salon. “They place an undue emphasis on dieting, promoting often unhealthy weight-loss and diet culture, and can make people feel like failures.”

As with all online trends that move and evolve quickly, the lists have already reached a self-deprecating, sarcastic point before we’ve even closed out the first week of January.

While The Washington Post started the lists, the trend seems to have come full circle with other outlets joining in and sharing their own (which usually means it’s the end of a trend.)