This is why 2026 is the new 2016 trending online.
2026 IS THE NEW 2016 – This trend has spread massively online, and this is the reason why and how it started.
2016 is already 10 years ago, and over the weekend, the “2026 is the new 2016” trend flooded our social media feed, coming from our well-loved celebrities. In this trend, they share a compilation of photos taken from a decade ago. It showed a growing sense of déjà vu and nostalgia, a feeling of reliving a turbulent chapter that’s already behind us.
Looking back, there’s so much growth in each of us. It triggered emotions, showing how far one has already come.
In the Philippines, celebrities like Jodi Sta. Maria, Gabbi Garcia, Janine Gutierrez, Megan Young, Wynwyn Marquez, and many others hopped on the trend, bringing the feels to their followers.
Of all the years, why 2016? An article from Glamour.com stated, “The 2016 trend on social media has everyone nostalgic for what now seems like a happier, simpler time.”
According to Tiktok, the 2016 searches rose to 452 percent in the past weeks. Meanwhile, more than 1.6 million videos tagged as 2016 throwbacks have already been uploaded on the said platform. On Snapchat, searches for “2016” have surged by over 600 percent since the start of 2026.
What also greatly contributed was the feels of how fast a decade has gone by for the millennials (1981-1996) and Gen Zs (1997-2012). For them, 2016 was considered as a time when social media is still a safe space for many.
“Feeds were more about relationships than reactions, so people saw familiar faces, daily updates, jokes, and shared moments. This kind of content helped people feel connected and safe, and scrolling did not feel as emotionally draining,” clinical psychologist Tracy King explained to Glamour.com.
In 2016, music was also alive with some of the most famous songs, such as “Work” by Rihanna, “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber, and many more.
This trend has leaned more on “trying to reconnect with a sense of meaning, continuity, and self-understanding that feels harder to access in the present.”
The psychologist added, “Instead of growth and new choices, adulthood started to mean coping and surviving much sooner than expected.”
Indeed, yesterday’s worries become today’s memories.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!