Overview
- TikTok reports a 452% jump in “2016” searches in early January, with 2016-style filters trending across millions of videos.
- The hashtag has drawn over 1.7 million TikTok posts this month, while users revive chokers, skinny jeans, dog-ear filters and warm, lo-fi aesthetics.
- Celebrities and influencers have joined in, from Charlie Puth and Hailey Bieber to Karlie Kloss, Khalid and Selena Gomez, posting throwbacks or set-to-2016 clips.
- The surge is translating into measurable music bumps, with Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” hitting No. 8 in the U.K., re-entering the U.S. Hot 100 at No. 70 and leaping on Spotify charts.
- Commentators caution the revival glosses over 2016’s turmoil, even as early TikTok posts like a Dec. 31 clip by @taybrafang helped catalyze the framing “2026 is the new 2016.”