Le Journal

VSCO filters, Kylie lip kits and the summer of Pokemon Go. The year 2016 is making a comeback in 2026 as people flood Instagram with throwback posts reminiscing about what they viewed as an iconic year for popular culture and the internet. In the past two weeks, many people online — from celebrities to regular Instagram users — dug through their camera rolls and Snapchat memories to unearth hyper-filtered photos of themselves a decade ago. Many of the photos share common themes now emblematic of the era: a matte lip and winged eyeliner, bold eyebrows and glamorous eye shadow. Acai bowls and boxed water. Chokers, aviator glasses and boho outfits made trendy by Coachella. “When I’m seeing people’s 2016 posts, even if they were in different states or slightly different ages, there’s all these similarities, like that dog filter or those chokers or The Chainsmokers,” said Katrina Yip, one of many people online who posted 2016 throwback photos. “It makes it so funny to realize that we were all part of this big movement that we didn’t really even know at the time was, like, just following the trend of that time.” The trend has become the latest example of people online romanticizing a different time as a form of escapism. Last year, Gen Zers, typically defined as those ages 14-29, posted videos expressing love for the charm and “cringe” of millennials. There has also been a recent surge in millennial-focused pop culture, which has been celebrated online. To many millennials and older Gen Z, 2016 was a year when community flourished on social media. People dumped their entire camera rolls into messy Facebook photo albums, sent each other silly Snapchat selfies and eagerly posted what they ate for brunch. “If you’re older, like maybe you were 50 in 2016 and you weren’t on Instagram or a heavy internet user, you might be like, ‘Why does everyone care about this random year?’” said Steffy Degreff, who shared her own throwback photos last week. Degreff, 38, said that for those who’ve been on social media for more than a decade, there’s nostalgia for the way social media used to function — with chronological feeds that focused only on the users people followed. There used to be an end to scrolling (specifically, when you ran out of updates from your friends). Platforms back then felt “a little bit less malicious” in their design, she said. “I do think that 2016 was the beginning of the end of a golden era of when people felt really good about the internet and social media and politics,” she added. “And then, obviously, the pandemic happened.” Many online who voiced their nostalgia described the overall energy of 2016 as “colorful” and “carefree.” Social Media Jan 18 Social media addiction's surprising challenger? Anti-doomscrolling influencers Celebrity News Dec 28, 2025 Influencers reveal how much money they make Social Media Dec 3, 2025 Is brain rot real? Researchers warn of emerging risks tied to short-form video People often went out in crop tops and jeans with a flannel tied around their waist. They’d snap pictures of an outfit laid out carefully on their bed or of a giant acai bowl. Then, they’d pore over VSCO (a popular photo editing app) filters with their friends, debating which preset to choose. “Now, we’ve gone very neutral-toned, like quiet luxury aesthetic, very minimal,” said Paige Lorentzen, who shared throwback photos featuring some of the trendiest brands of the time, such as Boxed Water Is Better and Triangl Swimwear. “Whereas back then, it was the brighter the saturation on your photos, the better. Everything felt like summer.” The new year marked exactly 10 years since 2016; therefore, many online began posting the phrase “2026 is the new 2016,” according to the database Know Your Meme. But “as the trend carried on, some social media users began posting videos denouncing the idea of making 2026 the new 2016, citing problems with living in the past and pointing out bad things that happened in 2016,” Know…

At events meant to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other top local officials spoke out against the Trump administration’s actions, while federal immigration agents vowed to continue their operation in Minneapolis. “We’re also seeing the tragic events and injustices that are happening across this country. A Minneapolis woman was shot in cold blood,” Johnson said. Johnson spoke at two events, the 2026 Rainbow PUSH MLK Annual Breakfast and the City Year MLK Day of Service at Morgan Park High School, where he celebrated Chicago’s connections to King. “He lived here. He organized here. The Chicago Freedom Movement confronted housing segregation, economic justice and systems that denied working families opportunity,” Johnson said. Rainbow PUSH’s breakfast was headlined by Don Lemon, with music from the Leo High School choir. In addition to honoring King, the focus was also on honoring Rev. Jesse Jackson. His son, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, was just in Minneapolis for a field hearing about Renee Good. “Renee Good should be alive today. There was no good reason for the Immigration Customs and Enforcement Agency to confront an American citizen,” Jackson said. At Morgan Park High School, more than 500 community members and volunteers honored King through service. That included former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “ICE, as we know it today, should be abolished. Doesn’t mean abolishing ICE. It means about what it’s doing,” Emanuel said. Emanuel is pushing for reforms to the agency. “It’s a lawless mob, rather than being a law enforcement agency. They’re wearing masks to cover their identity. They have no name ID. They have no body camera. They have no training,” Emanuel said. On social media, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called her agents’ work in Minneapolis a “huge victory for public safety.” In a post from ICE about Minneapolis’ Operation Metro Surge, the agency wrote, “ICE and @DHSgov ‘s work is just getting started.”

Three people, including two firefighters, were injured during a house fire on Monday evening in Chicago’s Noble Square neighborhood. Flames broke out before 9 p.m. at a multi-story home along North May Street near West Chicago Avenue. According to officials, two firefighters and a civilian were injured and taken to the hospital. Their conditions remained unknown as of Monday evening. Video shot by a neighbor captured thick smoke billowing from the structure. The Chicago Fire Department shared an image from the scene, showing flames and smoke pouring out of the roof. As of 10:44 p.m., the fire had been extinguished, and an investigation was underway. Additional details weren’t immediately available.

Dr. King’s speeches are a living commentary of America’s ongoing fight for racial and economic justice.

Both men are disabled, members of the Wounded Warrior Project, and former high-ranking sergeants who expected to spend decades in uniform before their injuries forced them out of the Army.