2026’s Nostalgia Wave: Why 2016 Is Reclaiming Social Media
A BBC Newsbeat piece explains that 2026 is seeing a spike in 2016 nostalgia on social media: TikTok searches for '2016' surged 452% and over 55 million videos use a '2016' filter, while Spotify shows a 71% rise in 2016-themed playlists. The revival includes Zara Larsson’s Lush Life returning to the charts and retro makeup looks, and is described by experts as a comforting, simpler era being recalled amid worries about AI and political divisions. Nostalgia is fueling the trend as Millennials and late Gen Z look back to a time before algorithms and reels reshaped social media.
