Why are people posting photos from 2016? What to know about the trend

A viral social media trend has people digging through their camera rolls, hoping to find the picture (or pictures) that best capture what their lives were like a decade ago.

Snapchat filters, chokers and saturated pictures are making a comeback, sort of. The "2026 is the new 2016" trend features the following nostalgic things, which have taken over people's social media feeds, with throwback photos taking center stage. From celebrities to friends, social media users have been describing 2026 as the new 2016 with their posts.

The trend comes weeks after many people took to social media to reminisce about the year that was filled with memes, music and iconic moments, from the Mannequin Challenge to "Hamilton" and even creepy clown sightings.

What is the '2026 is the new 2016' trend?

In the new trend, people are choosing photos of themselves from 2016 to post online for friends and followers to enjoy. Many of the posts reminisce on the year itself, with the creator mentioning or featuring something that was happening in their lives at that time.

The posts are often set to music from that period, including The Chainsmokers and Halsey's hit "Closer," DRAM and Lil Yachty's "Broccoli" and Jon Bellion's "All Time Low."

Beyond that, the pictures often reflect the staple characteristics of the year itself: shiny and thick makeup, pencil skirts and boots, and filters that completely alter photos. Popular Snapchat filters at the time, such as flower crowns and dog ears, are also featured in the pictures.

Before people began posting pictures of themselves, the desire for nostalgia from 2016 was already growing. Videos have circulated on social media platforms like TikTok for years, hoping 2016's vibes, memes and culture would return. Ahead of the new year, people began posting on TikTok, with videos featuring pictures from 10 years ago alongside words like "Happy 2016," "Wake up it's 2016," "It's officially 2016," and "2026 is the new 2016."

See celebrities, artists post 2016 throwbacks

Celebrities and artists have also gotten in on the fun, taking to Instagram to post their favorite photos from a decade ago.

"2016. 📍," wrote singer-songwriter Khalid in his Instagram post, which features photos of him graduating high school, attending sporting events with friends, and posing for photoshoots. The post is accompanied by his hit song, "Location", off his "American Teen" album, which was released in early 2017.

Model Karlie Kloss's post, captioned, "Did someone say 2016?!", features the ever-popular Snapchat dog filter, sunglasses and hashtags.

Other celebrities are also participating, though not by posting throwback photos. Artist Charlie Puth hopped on the trend by posting a video with a filter over it, in which he's lip-syncing the words to his 2016 hit with Selena Gomez, "We Don't Talk Anymore."

"Heard it was 2016 again?" Puth captioned the short video on his Instagram.

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @katecperez_.