"There was something undeniably weird about 2016. Not weird in the charming, "remember Vine?" sense, but weird in the way history feels right before it tips over. It marked a slow descent into collective unease, beginning with the surreal recapture of El Chapo, winding through celebrity deaths and the mainstreaming of one particular cartoon frog, and finally cratering with the presidential election of reality TV star Donald Trump. At the time, many outlets openly wondered whether 2016 was the worst year ever."
"And yet, for a certain slice of Gen Z, 2016 wasn't the beginning of the end. It was the last good summer of our lives. According to GWI, 42 percent of Gen Z respondents report feeling nostalgic for the 2010s - a sentiment especially visible on TikTok, where obsession with 2016 has become its own trend. It's not surprising, as nostalgia is an inevitable part of life."
"People are already talking about how " good we had it" in 2020, even though, by some crucial metrics, that year was even worse. But for older Gen Z, 2016 - more specifically, the summer of 2016 - hits a particular part of the brain. For many of us, it was the last time we were allowed to be kids."
2016 combined events that produced a slow descent into collective unease: the recapture of El Chapo, high-profile celebrity deaths, the mainstreaming of the Pepe frog, and the presidential election of Donald Trump. Many outlets wondered whether 2016 was the worst year ever. Older members of Gen Z feel strong nostalgia for the 2010s, particularly the summer of 2016. Surveys show roughly 42 percent of Gen Z respondents report nostalgia for the decade, and TikTok amplifies obsession with 2016. Nostalgia is selective and can cast later, objectively worse years in a warmer light. For many older Gen Z, summer 2016 represented the final stretch of unburdened childhood.
Read at Mashable
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