Take a scroll through TikTok, and you’ll notice a certain trend surfacing about 2026 becoming the new 2016. As you may remember, people on social media were already trying to make 2025 the new 2015, but it didn’t work as well as they expected. However, by the end of 2025, the new ‘2026 is the new 2016’ trend had already taken effect with people all over the nation doing trends and dances from back then.
There have been complaints about those participating in this trend, such as people only using Snapchat filters and not taking it as seriously as they should. Upon seeing that people are participating in this trend, certain TikTok users expect the dances, hobbies, and even the 2016 fashion, such as Vans and skinny jeans, to return. Iconic trends like The Mannequin Challenge and The Running Man Challenge are being longed for.
If you search this up on TikTok, many videos will pop up with people dedicated to doing the trend, acting like it’s 2016. The filters, the music, the vibes, it’s all there. However, just because this trend is popular doesn’t mean that it appeals to everybody. This hasn’t exactly gotten through to some people, unfortunately. Some individuals are opposed to the trend, saying that this didn’t work last year and that people say this every year, but those opinions are generally seen as unreasonable.
The real disconnect lies in the level of effort put in by participants. For some, changing your wallpaper just isn’t enough. They’re not just happy with the aesthetics; no, they want you to dive deeper into the 2016 vibes. It’s all about dedication—using old slang like ‘boi,’ ‘lit,’ ‘dope,’ ‘on fleek’; maybe even resurrecting the cringy Musical.ly videos that we buried long ago.
While casual participants are content with a grainy “Rio de Janeiro” filter, true 2016 enthusiasts are demanding a full-scale cultural shift. They want Tumblr-era aesthetics, DIY slime videos and a time when the internet felt less like a sketchy store and more like a playground for the internet.
But not everyone experienced the same 2016. Most teenagers now were too young back then to even participate in all the trends from that time, and people who were adults then are now too occupied with other things to do it.
It can also be annoying to see everyone want to go back to the past, especially considering that wanting to ‘live in the present’ is a mantra people value. This trend may not be for everyone, but it’s a fun twist on our new year, and maybe we can make it work this time.
