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2016 Nostalgia Floods Social Media as Users Declare It the 'Last Good Year'

Analysts describe the throwbacks as a bid to recapture a more communal internet that preceded today’s polarized, always‑on feeds.

Overview

  • Celebrities including Kylie Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham and Reese Witherspoon have posted 2016 throwbacks, reviving mid‑2010s aesthetics and memories.
  • Scholars such as Jessica Maddox and Dustin Kidd say the sentiment reflects selective remembering and a line many draw before a seismic political shift.
  • Coverage ties the mood to 2016’s mix of cultural highs like Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Moonlight, Fleabag and Stranger Things alongside losses such as Prince and David Bowie and the Pulse massacre.
  • Commentators note that online life then felt more communal with fewer doomscrolling habits and a stronger shared media culture.
  • The wave has drawn polarized reactions, with even innocuous posts prompting bad‑faith critiques that underscore today’s harsher online climate.