‘2026 is the new 2016’: From Snapchat filters to glossy makeup, why everyone is suddenly …

Barely a fortnight into 2026, social media has slipped into full rewind mode. Instagram and TikTok feeds are overflowing with old selfies, blurry phone pictures and aggressively filtered memories as users dig deep into their camera rolls to revisit who they were 10 years ago. The posts usually come with one familiar caption: “2026 is the new 2016.” From low-resolution iPhone clicks to puppy-dog Snapchat filters and Pokémon Go screenshots, the internet is reliving a year that now feels oddly distant and deeply comforting. Scroll for a few minutes and you are likely to see thickly carved eyebrows, flower crowns, and videos that look like they were filmed on a potato. It is nostalgia in lo-fi. The throwback wave has been massive. Since the year began, people have been sharing carousels and hazy clips from their digital archives, turning timelines into personal time capsules. According to the BBC, TikTok searches for “2016” jumped by over 450 per cent in the first week of January alone, while millions of videos using vintage-style filters inspired by the era have flooded the app. The hashtag #2016 has already crossed a million posts on TikTok and tens of millions on Instagram. Celebrities haven’t stayed
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