Everything the internet is missing from 2016
This just in the internet is saying it’s 2016 again. So put on your skinny jeans and flower crowns because we are so back.
If you’ve been on social media recently, you’ve likely seen some of your favorite celebrities posting photo dumps from their 2016 archive. This is because as we entered the new year, many users declared that we should treat 2026 like the new 2016. With that, the internet did what it does best and immediately ran with it.
Over the past week, various celebrities, influencers, and other social media users have taken to their accounts to share their personal throwback photos from the era. Even some of the biggest names have joined in on the trend, from Demi Lovato and Charlie Puth to Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber.
This surge of 2016 nostalgia has made me wonder what everyone’s missing. So, I’ve compiled a list of all the looks, trends, and unforgettable moments that made the year 2016 one to remember.
STYLE
Style trends and inspiration were mostly influenced by millennial celebrities at the time, who sported looks incorporating pieces like skinny jeans, ankle boots, chokers, and bomber jackets — just to name a few. Personally, I’d be surprised if any of these make a successful comeback in 2026.
MUSIC
If nothing else, 2016 certainly had some great hits on the radio. That summer, the Billboard Hot 100 featured songs like Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, One Dance by Drake, and Closer by the Chainsmokers. It was also the year that Adele won the Grammy for Album of the Year for 25 and expressed in her acceptance speech that she believed the award should have gone to Beyoncé for Lemonade.
FILM & TV
The year was also full of blockbuster hits both in cinemas and on TV screens. A few of the most popular TV releases were NBC’s This Is Us, HBO’s Westworld, and Netflix’s Stranger Things, which just had its series finale at the beginning of this year. Some of the biggest movie releases included Captain America: Civil War, Zootopia, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Moana, and Deadpool. Additionally, at the Oscars we saw the infamous mix-up when La La Land was wrongfully announced as the winner of Best Picture instead of Moonlight.
SOCIAL MEDIA
It was the era before algorithms and AI; social media was more unique than ever. Numerous flower crowns and dog filters were sent on Snapchat, Team 10 was formed on YouTube, and the Tumblr girl aesthetic reigned supreme on Instagram. Music.ly and Vine were the place to post silly short-form videos before TikTok, and the most popular trends at the time were the mannequin challenge, flipping water bottles, and the revival of the running man challenge.
So, is 2026 really the new 2016? Only time will tell if this is just a brief social media trend, or a mindset that will live on throughout the year. In the meantime, I’ll be reminiscing on all the highs, lows, and in-betweens from what may be one of the most nostalgic years of our generation’s lifetime.