Rio de Janeiro, dog filters, skinny jeans and the mannequin challenge are just a few things that can be used to describe the essence of 2016. Instead of leaving them behind in the past, many have started the new year (2026) by bringing back these nostalgic trends.
While it may just seem like a silly current that has surged only in the first couple months of 2026, it appears that there is sentimental meaning behind it as well.
Through social media platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram, Generation Z and many celebrities have had their takes on the ongoing joke: “2026 is the new 2016.” But what do people mean by this? What are some 2016 trends that are being brought back?
Camera filters such as the Dog Filter and Flower Crown on Snapchat, Rio de Janeiro on Instagram, and BY BRYANT on Tiktok, have resurfaced to today’s algorithm. Additionally, this craze has reached restaurants and sparked reboot ideas as well.
Jayden Nguyen in the CT Insider reports, “Panera Bread is joining the trend with a limited-time menu that highlights four of its menu items that were especially popular during 2016.”
On the topic of reboots and nostalgia, Yi-Jin Yu in the ABC News says, “I think nostalgia is something that has been trending for a while now … You see it in fashion, you see it with these reboots of TV shows and people remaking movies.”
Not only do people find the 2016 joke funny and amusing, many have yearned for the carefree nature that 2016 brought them.
“Many people have been using the trend to remember and reflect on how their lives have changed, and it’s reminded many of how carefree things felt 10 years ago,” says Naomi de Souza in the BBC.
Similarly, Yu quotes Leah Faye Cooper, journalist and former Vogue editor covering the intersection of culture and fashion, saying, “People are really longing for a time that felt simpler, a time that felt really optimistic.”
It is no secret that people miss the 2016-feeling and want to bring back the times that were considered easier than they are today, 10 years later. Looking for original memes is definitely much harder to do than it was in 2016.
Yu expresses, “The trend has also gained momentum as people look back at a time prior to the coronavirus pandemic and before the internet was less powered by algorithms.”
Since most of today’s trends revolve around the failures and popularity of Artificial Intelligence, the meaning behind bringing back old trends is to feel a sense of real original jokes.
Dani Di Placido in Forbes writes, “‘2026 Is The New 2016’ can be traced back to an ironic Gen-Z joke that turned into a sincere movement known as ‘the Great Meme Reset,’ in which TikTokers pined for the good old days, before the web became infested with AI-generated brainrot.”
Now, you may be wondering if these trends revolving around 2016 are here to stay. That is left up to the algorithm and social media users alone. If this continues, you will definitely see more people wearing skinny jeans, and maybe you will hop on the trend too.
