Dog filters, skinny jeans, Pokémon Go, Musical.ly, chokers, Tumblr, the Mannequin Challenge, flower crowns, bold makeup looks, galaxy patterns, and Rio De Janeiro filters. A decade ago, these things were the biggest trends.
Before the start of the New Year, social media was flooded with posts claiming that “Wake up, it’s 2016!” and “2026 = 2016.” Including the social media site that was popularized in 2016, “Tumblr,” joined in on the trend with an Instagram post saying “2026 is the new 2016.”
The question others are asking is simply this: Why? Why yearn for a time of such simplicity when, in this decade, anything you could possibly want seems to be at your fingertips?
But that’s just the reason. It’s too much. This generation is overwhelmed. Coming from a time where SnapChat Filters were the coolest form of technology, Gen Z is becoming overwhelmed and disgusted by ‘AI Slop’ — a nickname given to content made by artificial intelligence — and doomscrolling — the act of being unable to keep yourself from flipping from video to video.
A constant pressure of keeping themselves from becoming ‘too cringe’ is keeping students from being their authentic selves. The phrase roaming the internet, “We were cringe, but we were happy” became popularized as a humorous, but melancholy call to the movement.
When they look back a decade ago, they see nostalgia, bright colors, and a genuine joy behind the photos taken. Life seemed so much more vivid. Interestingly enough, at this time when teenagers are searching for a hint of that nostalgia they crave, pop culture seems to be echoing itself.
In 2016, “Stranger Things,” currently the top show on Netflix, first aired, along with “Zootopia.” At the end of 2025, “Zootopia 2” became available in theatres, and “Stranger Things” came to a close with its finale on New Year’s Eve. Bruno Mars’ most recent album, “24k Magic,” was released on Nov. 18, 2016, with a new album, “The Romantic,” set to drop on Feb. 27.
Whether a complete coincidence or a subconscious decision to begin this movement now, it’s something a select group of people are incredibly passionate about. So whether you want to stay in the present or transport yourself back a decade with polaroids, emojis, palm trees, and EOS Lip Balm, the choice is yours.
