The hashtag, “Is 2026 the new 2016” has been trending on TikTok and other social media platforms ever since 2026 began. The trend to feature nostalgic posts and resurface videos from 2016, comparing them to the 2026 versions of people has been going viral. This trend is not so much about the year 2016 but the energy that radiated through it: the social media culture, the music, and the emotional significance.
What’s the hype about 2016 anyway? Well, we saw the release of music that is still big today, such as Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’, Justin Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself’, Drake’s ‘Views’, and the Chainsmokers’ ‘Closer’, which took the media by storm. Additionally, the release of ‘Hamilton’ also took Broadway and the musical world by storm. Iconic movies like ‘Zootopia’, ‘Deadpool’, ‘Sing’, ‘La La Land’, and ‘Moonlight’ were all released within the year. These movies had a lasting impact on audiences and are still treasured as fan favourites a decade later. On our social media, we saw the rise of the Snapchat “Dog filter”, the Starbucks Unicorn frappuccino, the water bottle challenge, and the Mannequin challenge that featured Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’, which continues to be iconic today.
What’s happening today that reminds us of 2016? People have been posting nostalgic clips with outfits from 2016, reminiscing the fashion trends of the year, with some content reuters re-visiting trends that were popular in the year, such as certain filters for instagram photos. A lot of celebrities have also been chiming in on the trend. Videos of ‘you wake up in 2016 again’ displaying the culture and energy from that time period are also trending.
The fact that it has been 10 years since 2016, which was a very significant year for pop/culture, is understandably very nostalgic for most Gen-Z people and content creators. However, a lot more has been happening globally that takes people back to 2016. The rapper Fetty Wap, who wrote songs like’ Trap Queen’, ‘My Way’, and ‘679’ was recently released from jail. After his release, he began performing again, which reminded fans of his peak career in 2016.
Why do people want it to be 2016 again? The year was full of critical moments and resonated with an energy that has yet to be matched, which greatly transformed our media into what it is today, especially given the current political state of the world.
“I miss a time when technology and social media were about having fun,” shared sophomore Mary Grace Banona, which supports the idea that people miss a simpler time when people were more focused on living in the moment, rather than social media being used to debate politics or perfectly crafted to impress others. Who knows what we have in store for the rest of 2026? For now, we can revel in the nostalgia of 2016 and try to embody the similar energy and culture we once cherished and still continue to.
