Why 2016 Is Making A Comeback – And Celebs Are All In!

The 2016 Revival: A New Year, A Familiar Past

Two weeks into 2026, and already the internet has decided that the past feels like a cozier place than the present. The catchy phrase "2026 is the new 2016" is lighting up TikTok and Instagram, complete with throwback posts, camera-roll dumps, and videos crafted to look like they were shot on an iPhone with a headphone jack. Of course, celebrities are jumping on board, because let's face it – it's low-effort but high-reward.

What’s the Buzz About?

Here's the game: post something that screams "2016" and let the audience do the rest. Whether it’s a throwback selfie, a "ten years ago" photo dump, or a fresh video edited to resemble the 2016 internet with its heavy filters, blown-out contrasts, and nostalgic soundtracks, the shorthand does the heavy lifting. The mere mention of "2016" cues up the vibe before you even start scrolling.

"2016 was the year that felt more shared and less exhausting," a culture journalist remarked about the trend.

The Rio Filter: Nostalgia in Color

A lot of these posts are leaning heavily on the visual language of Instagram's Rio de Janeiro filter, which adds a warm, loud, and slightly surreal touch to images. It's nostalgia wrapped in a color grade. You're not being whisked away to Brazil – you're being taken back to what "fun online" used to look like.

Stars Making Waves

The cleanest take on this trend is the "I heard it’s 2016 again" post, which lets celebs keep it casual while steering the vibe. Charlie Puth, for instance, captioned a heavily filtered video "Heard it was 2016 again?" while lip-syncing to his 2016 hit "We Don’t Talk Anymore". Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber posted a TikTok lip-syncing to MadeinTYO’s 2016 track "I Want (Skr Skr)" and included cameos from Kendall Jenner and Justine Skye. Fans quickly filled the comments with their own nostalgic snaps.

Nostalgia: A Balm for Fragmented Times

This isn't just a random trip down memory lane. As Vogue points out, people aren't yearning for the politics or disasters of 2016 – they're reaching for the cultural tone that felt communal and less draining. Nostalgia is a shortcut when today's world feels fragmented. It's a call for simpler, more optimistic times.

The trend may have hit its peak and begun to fade, but it highlights an important point: people are craving low-stakes, communal fun, and they're willing to time-travel to get it. If you need "2016 again" to remember how to enjoy the digital world, that's not just an aesthetic problem – it's a 2026 problem.