Why Is Everyone Obsessed With 2016 Again in 2026? Viral Nostalgia Trend Explained

The Internet has decided that 2026 is the new 2016.

All across TikTok, Instagram and Threads, users have been posting throwback edits, Snapchat dog filters and clips set to mid-2010s hits, bringing back the era of flower crowns, Pokémon Go, Musical.ly and the Mannequin Challenge.

For many people, 2016 represented the last time the Internet that felt more fun, messy and unserious, well before algorithms and more curated feeds.

“We had just started to evolve past Tumblr-era cynicism...