In 2026, “time slips” describe how rapid AI-driven technological change is outpacing human adaptation, making it feel like we’re living in multiple eras simultaneously

1. The "2026 feels fake" Social Phenomenon

Across social media (Reddit, TikTok, etc.), there has been a massive surge in users reporting a psychological "Time Slip" or "Time Blur."

• The feeling: People are reporting that 2026 feels "zoomed in" or like it's "speeding up" compared to previous years.
• The "Glitch": Many users describe 2026 as a "sci-fi year" where the technology (AI, space travel, robotics) has finally caught up to the movies, making the present feel surreal or "not quite real"—a form of collective dissociation often called "Post-Holiday Blur" or "Future Shock."

2. The Doomsday Clock: "85 Seconds to Midnight"

In a more literal "time" update, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight for 2026.

• This is the closest the "time" of human civilization has ever been to its symbolic end. It’s a "time slip" in the sense that our window for solving global crises is shrinking faster than at any point in history.

3. Measuring "Time Inside" Quantum Events

Physicists at EPFL (Switzerland) just announced a breakthrough where they managed to measure time inside a quantum event without using a clock.

• The "Slip": They discovered that at the quantum level, time isn't a steady flow. By looking at the "spin" of electrons, they found that certain transitions last only attoseconds ( seconds).
• This research suggests that at the most fundamental level, time might be "quantized" or "lumpy" rather than smooth. It’s the closest science has come to proving that "time slips" (tiny gaps or jumps in time) exist at the subatomic level.

4. The "Bold Street" Legend Returns

In the world of the paranormal, the famous Bold Street "Time Slip" in Liverpool (where people have claimed to walk into the 1950s for decades) saw a resurgence in viral popularity recently due to a new set of alleged "eyewitness accounts" posted online. While likely just a tall tale, it’s one of the few "glitch in the matrix" stories that continues to capture the global imagination.