Overview
- TikTok reports searches for “2016” up about 452% in early January, a 2016-style filter used more than 55 million times, and roughly 1.7 million #2016 posts.
- Celebrities and influencers are fueling the surge with throwbacks and 2016-era sounds, including posts from Hailey Bieber with Kendall Jenner, Charlie Puth, Karlie Kloss, and Khalid.
- Users are reviving mid‑2010s hallmarks like warm lo‑fi filters, Snapchat dog ears, chokers, skinny jeans, the Mannequin Challenge, bottle flips, and Musical.ly‑style clips.
- The nostalgia is showing up in the charts as Zara Larsson’s 2016 hit “Lush Life” jumps to No. 8 in the U.K., re‑enters the U.S. Hot 100 at No. 70, and climbs on Spotify.
- Cultural writers link the craze to cohort timing and economic shifts, while warning that rosy memories gloss over 2016’s darker side, including Trump’s first election win, Brexit, and high‑profile deaths.