Is 2026 the new 2016?

“2026 is the new 2016.” This phrase has been circulating on social media since the beginning of the year as millions of TikTok and Instagram users take a nostalgic look back at 2016. As Zara Larsson’s ‘Lush Life’ returns to the charts, the Snapchat dog filter makes a comeback, and hundreds of viral memes resurface, the impact of 2016 on pop culture is undeniable. However, was 2016 truly as flawless as social media considers it to be? Or are we merely looking back on the year through rose-tinted lenses? Especially since the 2016 ‘aesthetic’ is literally draped in a rosy, pink-toned filter.

Since the new year, millions have taken to social media to share their own throwback photos from this beloved year

2016 is often romanticised for its natural and authentic approach to social media. With the launch of Snapchat Memories (a tool used to save photos and videos in a private collection) a decade ago, it is clear that social media was dedicated to capturing the present moment rather than constructing performative photos and videos. Posts were dominated by the pink-hued, Rio de Janeiro filter, which has recently made a comeback on TikTok. Instagram feeds mainly consisted of fun selfies, colourful Starbucks drinks, and skinny jeans paired with chokers. Since the new year, millions have taken to social media to share their own throwback photos from this beloved year. Many celebrities have also jumped on the trend, such as Kylie Jenner reminiscing on her infamous ‘King Kylie’ era, even releasing a cosmetics collection dedicated to her 2016 persona. However, Instagram and Snapchat were not the only trending social media platforms at the time. Musical.ly, now named TikTok, was hugely popular in 2016 as users lip-synced to pop songs and filmed themselves doing the mannequin challenge in hopes of being ‘crowned’. As online users begin to return to the trends of 2016, it seems that there is a yearning to return to a time when social media was casual and creative as opposed to being associated with the current negative connotations of ‘doomscrolling’, AI content and ‘brain rot’.

The fashion and beauty trends of 2016 are also hugely memorable in pop culture history. High-street shops were filled with skinny jeans, bomber jackets, and Adidas Superstars, and these fashion trends are slowly but surely making a return to the market. Makeup looks tended to be bolder and more experimental as cut-crease eyeshadow looks and blinding highlighter dominated the beauty industry, in clear contrast to the rising popularity of ‘clean girl makeup’ in the past few years. The 2020s have seen the constant rise and fall of countless microtrends, such as ‘y2k’ and ‘cottagecore’. Thus, it is no surprise that fashion and beauty trends are now taking inspiration from a year that was defined by its own original style and aesthetic.

Many people appear to be reminiscing on a lifestyle they never got to experience for themselves, instead feeling nostalgia for a lifestyle that was presented to them through their social media feeds

Whilst 2016 is clearly romanticised as an era of carefree joy, we collectively seem to have forgotten that this was also a year of political upheaval. For example, Donald Trump was elected as President at the end of 2016, and this was also the year in which the UK voted to leave the EU. However, when considering the profound changes that have taken place in the last ten years, it is no surprise that Gen Z is looking back on the past through rose-tinted lenses. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of AI, and the political turmoil which has occurred since 2016 have inevitably prompted a desire to return to the past and relive a supposedly simpler time. Especially given that the majority of people romanticising the 2016 aesthetic are of a younger generation and would likely have been ignorant of many of the issues present within society a decade ago. Thus, many people appear to be reminiscing on a lifestyle they never got to experience for themselves, instead feeling nostalgia for a lifestyle that was presented to them through their social media feeds.

Therefore, transforming 2026 into the new 2016 is not only a coping mechanism for the current state of the world but is also an opportunity to embrace the creativity and optimism associated with that era. Regardless of whether 2016 was truly as perfect as we remember it being, the widespread nostalgia for authenticity online is a clear rebuttal to the performative nature of modern social media.