We’re not nostalgic for 2016 — we’re nostalgic for the internet before all the slop

Young internet users are romanticizing 2016 as "the last good year," with Instagram seeing over 5.2 million posts using 2016-themed stickers and Spotify reporting a 790% increase in 2016 playlists since New Year's. While 2016 was widely despised at the time due to Brexit, Trump's election, and various tragedies, today's nostalgia reflects longing for an internet before AI dominance and algorithmic control reached current levels. This yearning represents a desire to return to when technology felt more manageable and authentic.