10 Years of Nostalgia: Why the Internet Is Looking Back at 2016 With Rose-Colored Glasses

TikTok’s “2026 is the new 2016” trend is sparking quite a heated debate online. 

On one hand, millions of Gen Z and Millennial users are romanticizing 2016 as a simpler, more carefree time, flooding feeds with throwback playlists, old selfies and Vine-era humor when social media felt fun.

And it’s evidenced by more than 2.1 million TikTok posts using the hashtag #2016. 

On the other hand, Millennials are asking themselves, “Why is 2016 trending now?” and “Why is everyone posting 2016?” — as many have a completely different recollection of what life was like 10 years ago.

What is the 2016 trend? 

Nostalgia is nothing new to social media — and 2016 is simply the new culprit.

It’s the same nostalgia most Millennials experience with the mid-2000s, the same nostalgia Gen X feels about the 1990s and the same nostalgia Baby Boomers carry when looking back at the 1980s. 

And it’s likely the same nostalgia Gen Alpha will feel about 2025. 

For now, the younger generation is taking to TikTok — which, ironically, wasn’t even a thing 10 years ago (at least in the US) — to reminisce about what used to be when life was easier (and less dramatic). 

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In fact, according to Glamour, searches for “2016” were up by 452% at the beginning of the year. 

And many celebrities have helped fuel the new trend online. 

“Heard it was 2016 again?” Charlie Puth wrote in a TikTok of him lip syncing to his 2016 hit “We Don’t Talk Anymore” while on a boat. 

Kim Kardashian posted a series of throwback photos on Instagram with the caption, “I promise whatever happened to you in 2016 mine was crazier” — and Kylie Jenner joined in on the trend in similar fashion.

A look back at 2016 — both the good and the ugly

A lot can happen (and change) in 10 years. And 2016 is the perfect example of that. 

For starters, 2016 was the first year in tech history that mobile phone usage surpassed desktop usage, with mobile and tablet devices accounting for over half of all web traffic worldwide. 

It marked the end of Vine — and a period where TikTok didn’t exist. 

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Everyone was on Snapchat, Instagram Stories just launched, memes were in their golden era, AI videos were so bad that they were easy to spot and people were distracted by Pokemon GO — not politics. 

For those who don’t remember the good (and bad) that came with 2016, here’s a quick breakdown. 

Most popular songs in 2016

2016 was the year Beyoncé released “Lemonade,” Chance the Rapper released “Coloring Book,” Kanye West released “The Life of Pablo” and David Bowie released his farewell album, “Blackstar.” 

Here’s a look at the top-10 songs on Billboard’s 2016 Year-End Hot 100:

1. "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber
2. "Sorry" by Justin Bieber
3. "One Dance" by Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
4. "Work" by Rihanna featuring Drake
5. "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots
6. "Panda" by Desiigner
7. "Hello" by Adele
8. "Don’t Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
9. "Can’t Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake
10. "Closer" by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey

At the Grammy Awards, “Uptown Funk” won Record of the Year, Taylor Swift’s “1989” won Album of the Year, Meghan Trainor was Best New Artist and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” won Song of the Year. 

Most popular movies of 2016

Walt Disney Studios was on fire in 2016 — becoming the first studio to have five films gross over $300 million domestically in a single year. 

It also marked the first time two animated films (“Finding Dory” and “Zootopia”) crossed the billion-dollar mark globally in the same year. 

Here’s a list of the top-grossing movies of 2016:

• “Captain America: Civil War” — $1.15 billion
• ”Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” — $1.06 billion
• ”Finding Dory” — $1.03 billion
• ”Zootopia” — $1.02 billion
• ”The Jungle Book” — $966.6 million
• ”The Secret Life of Pets” — $875.7 million
• ”Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” — $874.4 million
• ”Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” — $816 million
• ”Deadpool” — $782.6 million
• ”Suicide Squad” — $749.2 million

2016 was also the year Leonardo DiCaprio won his first (and only) Oscar when he was named Best Actor for his role in “The Revenant” — and the same year Brie Larson did the same for her role in “Room.”

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Most popular TV shows of 2016

In 2016, the world was introduced to “Stranger Things” for the first time. 

It was also the year that “This Is Us,” “Atlanta,” “Victoria,” “Lucifer,” “Crown,” “The Night Manager,” “My Hero Academia” and “Westworld” were released. 

According to Nielsen Ratings, these were the most popular TV shows of 2016: 

• “The Big Bang Theory”
• “NCIS”
• “Sunday Night Football”
• “Walking Dead”
• “Bull”
• “NCIS: New Orleans”
• “Designated Survivor” 
• “Blue Bloods” 

Super Bowl 50 was the most-watched telecast of the year with nearly 113 million viewers, followed by Game 7 of the World Series (40 million) and The Oscars (35.6 million).  

Social media trends and hashtags in 2016

• VSCO and Snapchat filters
• The Running Man dance set to “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJs
• The “Damn Daniel” trend
• Water Bottle Flip challenge
• The Mannequin Challenge
• #swag, #goals, #dope, #fire, #squad, #bae

Viral memes of 2016

• Man punches a kangaroo in the face to rescue his dog
• Kermit the Frog sipping tea
• The “Dat Boi” frog meme
• Kermit the Frog wearing a black hoodie meme
• Math Lady / Confused Lady
• Crying Michael Jordan
• Mr. Krabs Blur

Viral slang of 2016

• Bae
• Fam
• It’s Lit
• Lowkey
• Fire
• Basic
• Bruh
• Flex
• Troll
• On Fleek

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Celebrity relationships in 2016

If this doesn’t make you feel old, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started dating in 2016. 

Taylor Swift was still with Tom Hiddleston, Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna had just started dating and it was the start of Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry’s romance — which came to a sudden end in 2025. 

Here are more celebrity relationship milestones in 2016: 

• Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner started dating
• Ciara and Russell Wilson tied the knot
• Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson started dating
• Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were married with two kids
• Mac Miller and Ariana Grande confirmed their romance
• Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara started dating
• Derek Jeter married Hannah Davis
• Michael Phelps tied the knot with Nicole Johnson

2016 was also the year Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo welcomed their first child, Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin had their third child and Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green welcomed their third baby.

And let’s not forget about the birth of Luna Simone — John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s first child. 

It also saw the demise of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris, Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney, and Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman.

Celebrity deaths in 2016

In 2016, the world said goodbye to multiple legends, including Muhammad Ali, Prince and David Bowie. 

Here are a few other notable celebrity deaths in 2016: 

• Alan Thicke
• Craig Sager
• Carrie Fisher
• Vera Rubin
• Pat Harrington Jr. 
• Alan Rickman
• Dan Haggerty
• John Glenn
• Antonin Scalia
• Nancy Reagan
• Frank Sinatra Jr.
• Gene Wilder

Of course, one of the most notable deaths of 2016 was Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla who was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year-old boy climbed into his enclosure. 

What were sports like in 2016?

2016 was a wild year in the sports world — and one filled with plenty of underdog stories. 

For starters, it was the year Kobe Bryant retired after a legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers — and the year Peyton Manning won his second Super Bowl before retiring months later. 

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Here are a few other sports memories from 2016: 

• Chicago Cubs broke their 108-year curse with a World Series win
• Cleveland Cavaliers ended their championship drought after being down 3-1 in the NBA Finals
• Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky each won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics
• Usain Bolt won his third consecutive gold in 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay
• Leicester City had one of the biggest upsets in history by winning the English Premier League title
• Colin Kaepernick kneels during the pre-game national anthem
• Golden State Warriors break a record by winning 73 games in a single season
• Villanova wins NCAA tournament on buzzer-beater
• Alabama holds off Clemson in CFP Finals shootout
• Conor McGregor becomes UFC’s first two-weight champion
• Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan all retire
• Tom Brady serves four-game suspension as part of DeflateGate 

The bad, ugly and worst events of 2016

• The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union (EU), known as Brexit
• The Syrian Refugee Crisis sees millions of refugees flee from Syria
• A mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, kills 49 people
• A terrorist attack at the Brussels airport kills 32 people
• A truck drove into a crowd in Nice, France, killing dozens
• The WHO declares the Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
• A highly divisive election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
• Global temperatures reach record highs and Arctic ice reaches record lows
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s were exploding into flames

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Looking back, 2016 feels like the last moment before everything sped up: before constant crises, before AI saturation, before social media felt so heavy. 

While it wasn’t perfect — and certainly wasn’t easy for everyone — it represented a version of the internet and everyday life that felt lighter, more communal and less exhausting. 

And as TikTok reminds us once again, nostalgia doesn’t mean the past was better — it just means the present feels overwhelming.