Overview
- Reports cite a sharp early‑January surge in TikTok interest, with the BBC‑relayed figure of a 452% jump in “2016” searches and tens of millions of videos using year‑themed filters.
- Celebrities and influencers, including Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth, Karlie Kloss, Lena Dunham and Reese Witherspoon, amplified the wave with decade‑old photos and clips.
- Scholars describe nostalgia for a period when online spaces felt more communal and less dominated by doomscrolling, with a stronger sense of shared trends and conversations.
- Commentators frame the year as a cultural turning point before major political ruptures such as Trump’s election in the U.S. and the UK’s Brexit vote reshaped public life.
- Critics argue the sentimental posts gloss over 2016’s violence and losses, citing the Pulse nightclub massacre and multiple celebrity deaths, and coverage notes a polarized response online.