Starting around the new year, the beginning of 2026 a unique social media trend started. People said that “2026 is the new 2016” and revivals of music, fashion, culture and lifestyle from 2016 began sprouting up all over. But it is more than just a trend of nostalgia on social media, it is a revival of living life to its fullest.
The 2016 revival is fueled by the fun and free-spirited nature of early social media platforms. People want to bring back the life teenagers lived, of going out and hanging with friends in person, going to concerts, music festivals, going shopping and going to parties. People experimented with expressive hair cuts, colors and styles to complement their unique outfits with choker necklaces, chevron print, sequins, galaxy print, painted jean jackets and crochet that were all staples to 2016 fashion and culture.
Sophomore Kathryn Larson said the music during 2016 is one of her favorite parts of the revival. “It’s just really fun, happy music you can dance to instead of sad music,” because although she likes sad music it is good to have something to cheer her up.
People have been saying for years that social media, among other factors, have caused kids to grow up too fast. Kids do not get to have their awkward middle school phase while they figure out their style because, for many it is pre-decided by what they have seen on social media all their lives. Going back and connecting with their inner child means going back to when there was nothing making them feel like they had to fit in, like they had to be a certain way.
A big part of this nostalgia is about reconnecting with their inner child, it is about, “embracing childhood and being a little kid again, ” junior Amelia Kozlowski said.
The early stages of social media tended to welcome and encourage self expression and connecting with others. Today it is more centered around views, keeping up with trends, gaining popularity and fitting in. When kids have access to social media at such a young age, it starts to shape them before they even really know what that means. Even when parents do not allow their kids to have phones or access to social media, those kids often end up feeling left out and disconnected from their peers. This disconnect causes them to indirectly experience the pressure of social media in order to fit in with their peers. Kids get shaped to believe the expectations and toxic parts of social media are truly valuable: likes, views, comments – approval. These days people seem to be obsessed with the idea of not being embarrassed because they want to fit in. They feel that if they get judged it is the end of the world, they forget how to actually live and have fun.
“As a whole social media has been more suppressive in a way than just allowing you to be yourself,” junior Sawyer Tilden said. The later half of Generation Z is around the ages of 15-19 now and we have experienced the worst parts of social media spiral out of control. Today “social media culture is just everyone trying to make themselves look better than everyone else,” Tilden explained.
Teenagers today feel more pressure than ever to fit in in order to feel accepted by the world and other teenagers. We have been brought up to believe that if we want to be happy we must be similar, we must be easily digestible to other people. These days as everyone feels they need to look and act the same, most people fold, and self expression becomes uncomfortable and majorly daunting.
Larson said that even though there is people on social media who advocate for self expression, overall, “it kind of puts people into boxes…and with the rising trend of aesthetics you have to fit into a certain aesthetic and not just be yourself,” and that in 2016 people seemed more free and able to express themselves and be unique.
In 2016, social media was not globalized yet, it was much less widespread. There was not a uniform culture to follow and social media trends were new to us. People did not feel the need to fit in online. The culture of 2016 welcomed self expression and trying new things. People were excited by this new place to share who they were with new and old friends. But as social media and we, evolved over time it became a much more toxic environment of comparison, hierarchy, performance and doom scrolling. It feels like people have become so focused on becoming someone other people like, that we have almost lost the idea of becoming you.
Back in 2016 everyone was trying new things on social media and experimenting with what it was, what it meant and what it could be. Tilden explained that he thinks people should start making bad music videos and everyone should start making music again even if they are not musicians. People were less afraid to fail or get embarrassed, as the realization that thousands or even millions of people might see and judge it, had not quite hit yet. And because the culture of online criticism and judgment also had fully developed yet, failure was much easier to deal with.
Although 2016 was a time filled with fun, individuality and self expression, it was not perfect, just like anything having to do with humans. It was also during a very pivotal time, it was the start of the new era of social media. Technological advances opened doors to new opportunities with contradicting possible outcomes. Though these changes have had negative impacts on our world today, it is important to remember to “live your truth no matter what decade it is,” as Larson would say.
