Nostalgia: 2016 vs 2026
2016 felt so amazing looking back because we were getting exposed to so many new and exciting things. It was the dawn of seeing people start to live how they wanted to live on a more regular basis.
There seemed to be some kind of agreement online just before 2026 started that this year was going to feel similar. It’s not just going to happen how it used to happen though - it’s not going to be filled with people getting their cars vinyl wrapped in fancy colours and doing diss tracks on each other. It’s not those exact things we’re looking for, it’s the fact that it’s become cool to try again. It’s the excitement that people feel about getting out of their own heads and start living the way they want to.
It’s the years and years we’ve had since 2016 of ever increasing judgement, exposure and hive mind mentality where everyone needs to agree online and they get a rush from other people validating their opinions and actions. The vast majority have just become sick of this detached living and want to regain the control of their own personalities, opinions and outlooks again. However, it doesn’t come from a place of negativity - we just want to have fun. It’s nice to have some sort of presence online, it provides excitement and a new way to express yourself.
As for nostalgia, to me it’s not the things we miss, it’s not the Wii remotes and the gameboys, it’s not the old comic books or vintage cars, it’s not even the music or the smell of a childhood favourite book. It’s the feelings attached to these things that are brought back up when experiencing them this far down the line.
Me and my friends often joke about type 2 fun and not completely enjoying something in the moment but with the knowledge that our “brain will convert it to fun” later. If you go back to this so called “nostalgic” time. I don’t think it would look too dissimilar to the daily life we live now. Minus a few evolutionary differences here and there. It’s just the knowledge we have now that everything will work out and that there was nothing we ever needed to stress / worry about. We look back and think how amazing it would’ve been to come home after school and eat an amazing home cooked meal, play with your mates and log onto Club Penguin until it was time for bed when you could read your favourite childhood book series. In reality, it was only a small % of the time where we actually experienced that high level of happiness we seem to associate a whole period of our life with.
My point is that it’s easy to look back with rose tinted lenses and think of simpler times. But in actuality we’re so close to this amazing life we all dream of, maybe with a worse hairline or a few more wrinkles. We just need to start experiencing again. Start making things happen. You don’t need to fly to the other side of the world, it’s absolutely amazing to do so but you don’t need to do it. We can look back with such fondness because we know exactly how the story goes. We need to stop worrying about whether we’re doing enough, too little or doing the right or wrong things. We need to start diving deeper into these experiences, really living to the max - being more intentional with how we spend our time rather than getting lost in the attention grabbing world. Give yourself a chance at those things you want to do and don’t fall victim to the dreaded doomscroll.
Have your mates over for dinner one night, try that food place you always walk past but think looks rubbish. So what! It’s not about constantly living good experiences, it’s about not worrying about the outcome and just living deeply.
2026 will be the best year since 2016, because it’s the first time we’ve not been on autopilot. It’s the year where we approach the days how we want to with the knowledge that we’re simply just living again.
No cuentes los días, haz que los días cuenten. - Muhammad Ali
In an attempt to practise what I’ve preached, I created a YouTube video of a trip my uni mates and I went on to our friend Finn’s house in Switzerland. The idea was to leave the trip not with a camera roll full of random photos and videos, but to collate those individual memories into a larger piece of work without worrying about making it high quality. I had a great time filming and editing this.