We are well into 2026, but social media seems to have got its hands on a time machine, transporting it 10 years back. From friends, followers and acquaintances to social media influencers and celebrities, everyone has been sharing their photos and videos from 2016 in long, seemingly never-ending carousel posts on Instagram. While the photos take you back in time and prompt you to think about a time 10 years ago, are you also wondering what's up with the internet?

Wake up, it's 2016! 

Imagine this. Times are simpler. The first season of Stranger Things just dropped. Instagram does not have a carousel post feature. Snapchat is filled with flowers and rose-tinted cheek filters. Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Sia and Chainsmokers are cool. Skinny jeans are in, shiny makeup gets applause, and YOLO energy will fetch instant likes (real ones, not the algorithm-driven Instagram likes).

A trend driven by nostalgia, embracing the pre-AI slower time

How to do the trend right?

The trend, in its essence, is simple. If you are among the blessed people who have enough storage to have digital keepsakes from 2016 on your smartphone, then bring them out. Alternatively, you can forage photos and videos from 10 years back in hard drives and old devices and collect them. Post the photo(s) and short clips in the form of a carousel post on Instagram. Usage of ‘#2016’ might fetch you more attention. Top it up by using popular songs from the year. Think Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Sia, Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake. Throw in photos from Snapchat with ‘uncool’ filters, exaggerated selfies and ‘cringe’ group photos in the mix for maximum effect. Think of it as going through your old photo albums. Just pick out the most unhinged ones and display them proudly.

Don't forget to hop on the trend ASAP, as (in reality) it is still 2026 and a new trend might just be around the corner, and you don't want to be outdated on the internet.