Overview
- TikTok reports searches for “2016” jumping about 450% in early January, with the #2016 tag topping roughly 1.7 million posts and a dedicated lo‑fi filter used on more than 55 million videos.
- Celebrities and creators are posting decade‑old photos and clips, including Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Karlie Kloss, Khalid, Rae Sremmurd, and Charlie Puth, often using retro filters and 2016 hit songs.
- The revival leans into mid‑2010s aesthetics and memes such as Snapchat dog and flower‑crown filters, chokers and skinny jeans, bottle flips, the Mannequin Challenge, and nods to Pokémon Go.
- The surge is influencing music consumption, with Zara Larsson’s 2016 hit “Lush Life” re‑entering the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 70 and climbing to No. 8 on the U.K. singles chart.
- Commentary praises the lighter, pre‑algorithm vibe yet flags selective memory, noting that 2016 also featured major political upheavals and high‑profile tragedies.