Overview
- January posts across social feeds feature #2016 throwbacks, side‑by‑side 2016 vs 2026 comparisons, and unedited snapshots that frame the past as simpler.
- Participants describe a pushback against today’s optimized, judgment‑heavy platforms, recalling Vine‑era playfulness and less performative posting.
- Users are reviving mid‑2010s aesthetics with grainy photos, early‑phone filters, skinny jeans, chokers and bomber jackets, and some brands are leaning back into those styles.
- Celebrity posts have amplified the wave, including Kim Kardashian’s attention‑grabbing 2016 caption and nods from Kylie Jenner and Hailey Rhode Bieber.
- Critics note the nostalgia often omits 2016’s ruptures, citing Brexit, Donald Trump’s first election, the Orlando and Nice attacks and India’s demonetization.