Looking back into the past 10 years ago, 2016… its impossible to not notice the changes from then to now, so much has changed in such a short amount of time, from technology to fashion and music have all evolved rapidly over the years, but there’s a bigger change people don’t tend to notice as often, how much we as people have changed since then, when things were a little more simple and genuine, every year leading up from before and after has made us who we are as people.
In 2016, smartphones were already integrated into everyday life, whether people were on Instagram, Snapchat, or just texting friends in general, social media felt like more of a place to connect rather than perform, looking back things feel more intentional and lively.
Technology has advanced in itself with the outburst of AI, doing most of your work for you, when in 2016 the newest iPhone was the SE, and the newest release is the 17 Promax. While progress like this is amazing, it blurs the line between real and fake, as well as greed; Authenticity feels hard to come by nowadays. 10 years ago everything was so original and creative, posting musicallys, vines, and parodies on YouTube.
Fashion in 2016 was all the rage, expressing your sense of self and individuality with skinny jeans, bright logoed tops, and vans were all the rage bold patterns filled hallways, outfits were bold and unapologetic, now all the rage has led more towards minimalism, neutral colors and prioritizing comfort above all else, these styles are both chic and are popular for their time and place, looking back people find the 2016 fashion cringe but that’s just what was popular at the time, who knows maybe we will look back in another 10 years and find the popular style to be cringe, people change all the time, its better to accept what you and others like or liked, as people and times always change, we should keep these things as fond memories instead of making fun of what we liked.
Music may be where nostalgia creeps in the most; Music sparks memories within us, making us think of what life was like when that was popular on our playlists. Songs from 2016 bring back memories of long car rides or hangouts with friends after school with the most popular hits being hello by Adele, What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber, and Work by Rihanna, Music has always connected people in a sense that talking can’t reach, it’s something we all love and even if people have different tastes it’s still something that brings people together and can lead to connections with others and within yourself.
Looking into the present, songs like Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars dominate playlists and streams, creating new memories for a new era. Yet music from our past will always hold special places in the heart, reminding you of good and bad times, filled with nostalgia.
Comparing 2016 to now, it isn’t all about technology or trends. It’s about the way we live life and how those things impact they way we go about our days, while we move forward and progress further as a society, the past will always remind us of true and real times among the people we love and its important to cherish our memories, past and present because time is moving to fast, next thing you know it will be 2036 and this will all feel a little to far out of reach.