If you’ve been doomscrolling on Instagram lately, chances are you’ve paused at least once on a blurry selfie, a puppy-face Snapchat filter, or a painfully low-resolution video that screams "mid-2010s internet". Welcome to the internet’s latest obsession: 2016 nostalgia, revived loudly and proudly in 2026.
Over the first few weeks of the new year, social media has turned into a digital time capsule. Users are dusting off decade-old photos, revisiting awkward fashion phases, and pairing them with captions declaring, "2026 is the new 2016." What started as a fun throwback trend has quickly turned into social media's new movement.
Why is 2016 trending again in 2026?
At its heart, the trend taps into a digital era of how you were 10 years back. Back in 2016, Instagram was less curated, filters were unapologetically dramatic, and posting didn't come with overthinking aesthetics or algorithms. Revisiting that era feels comforting, funny, and oddly grounding.
Creators are sharing old photos and videos from their personal archives, often reflecting on who they were back then, emotionally or professionally. Others are leaning into pure humour, poking fun at outdated edits, grainy videos, and fashion choices that once felt cutting-edge. Throw in mid-2010s pop tracks, and the nostalgia hits even harder.
Bollywood joins the 2016 throwback party
The trend has now found its way into celebrity timelines too. Several Bollywood stars have embraced the throwback wave, sharing glimpses from their lives ten years ago and giving fans a rare look at their journeys before today’s stardom.
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor revisited a landmark year both personally and professionally. She reflected on 2016 as the time when Neerja was released and when she was also discovering her relationship with now-husband Anand Ahuja.
Kareena Kapoor Khan
Kareena Kapoor’s post struck an emotional chord with fans. Sharing photos from 2016, she fondly referred to it as the year of her baby bump. The images captured a deeply personal phase when she was expecting her first child, Taimur Ali Khan.
Khushi Kapoor
Khushi Kapoor kept things playful. Posting a carousel of throwback pictures, mostly solo shots with a few family moments, she cheekily captioned it, "I was much cooler in 2016." The post perfectly summed up the self-aware humour driving the trend.
Ananya Panday
Ananya Panday shared a heartfelt note about how pivotal 2016 was in shaping her life. Her post featured moments with AbRam Khan, tying a rakhi to her cousin Ahaan Panday, and early industry memories, including holding a film clapboard. She wrote that the year remains especially close to her heart.
Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt may have joined the trend a bit later, but she made it count. Her throwback post featured familiar faces like Varun Dhawan, Parineeti Chopra, and Aditya Roy Kapur, reminding fans of the era when many of their on-screen journeys were just taking shape.
Why this trend feels different
Unlike typical throwback posts, this wave isn’t about perfection. It’s about embracing awkwardness, celebrating growth, and laughing at how far everyone has come. In a hyper-polished social media world, revisiting 2016 feels refreshingly honest.
And judging by how fast it’s spreading, the internet isn’t done reliving that era just yet.
