A powerful wave of nostalgia is currently sweeping across social media platforms. Netizens are enthusiastically revisiting snapshots from exactly a decade ago, focusing on the year 2016. The internet is now overflowing with old photographs. These images are reviving past fashion styles and aesthetics. They are also prompting reflections on what many consider a simpler digital era. This collective look back operates under the popular banner "2026 is the new 2016."
Bollywood Embraces the Throwback Trend
Bollywood celebrities are diving headfirst into this viral movement. Stars like Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are participating with great enthusiasm on Instagram. Their posts are generating significant buzz among fans. Global celebrities have also joined the fun. Beauty mogul Kylie Jenner and Emily in Paris star Lilly Collins have posted their own galleries of pictures from a decade ago.
Kareena Kapoor Shares Unseen Pregnancy Photos
Bollywood icon Kareena Kapoor recently became the latest star to join the trend. She took a heartfelt stroll down memory lane. Kareena shared previously unseen pictures from 2016. This was the year she was pregnant with her first child, Taimur. She posted the throwback photos on her Instagram account. Her caption simply read, "The year of the bump."
Alia Bhatt Recaps a Grounded Year
Actress Alia Bhatt shared an extensive photo dump from her 2016. Her post included moments from shooting the film Dear Zindagi with Shah Rukh Khan. It also featured a visit to seek blessings at the Golden Temple. She captioned her post with a detailed list of memories. "2016 ki kahaani," she began, listing ten special moments from that year.
More Stars Share Personal Memories
Other Bollywood personalities are sharing their own unique 2016 stories.
- Soha Ali Khan posted a photo dump recalling 2016 as "the year of family." She was a newlywed that year, learning about home and considering expansion.
- Sonam Kapoor shared throwbacks to the release of her hit film Neerja and the early days of her relationship with Anand Ahuja.
- Ananya Panday participated with classic 2016-style mirror selfies, complete with Snapchat's dog and flower crown filters.
- Huma Qureshi posted a series of pictures, including a poignant photograph with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Origins of the '2026 is 2016' Trend
This nostalgic trend first began on TikTok on January 1st. The goal was to evoke nostalgia and look back at the decade gone by. It transports netizens back to the pre-COVID era, remembered by many as "simpler times." The trend is credited to a TikTok video created by user Taybra Fang. It highlights cultural touchstones from 2016.
These include the ubiquitous Snapchat flower crown and dog filters. Call screenshots were a popular share. Panda sneakers gained massive popularity. The bottle flip challenge took over schoolyards and social media feeds.
The Complexity of Nostalgia
An expert weighs in on the psychology behind this trend. Jessica Maddox is an associate professor of media and cultural studies at the University of Georgia. She told CNN that the '2016 is 2026' trend seems fairly innocent on the surface. However, she notes there is likely some "revisionist history going on."
"Nostalgia is always complicated," Maddox explained. "We think that by doing or consuming something, we can have the same feeling we had back then, which can never be the case."
She reflected on the digital landscape of 2016. "We were less online but simultaneously more together in the spaces we were online," she said. A key reason people remember 2016 as easier or better, according to Maddox, is our changed relationship with the internet.
"We weren't plugged in as much," she noted. "We weren't doing as much doomscrolling. We weren't really engaged in the way we are now." This reflection adds depth to the simple act of sharing old photos, framing it as a collective longing for a different digital experience.
