Why Everyone Is Obsessed With 2016

Nostalgia is having a moment. When did our cultural mood start to plummet so badly that the past became the only place to look to for comfort? And is it a good thing that most of us seem to be stuck in the past?
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[@Forgiveness-h2r]

This is exactly what I was thinking about earlier today and learned about something called "Nostalgic depression" I was trying to escape this feeling and then this video popped on my notifications. I love the videos you make aperture your channel is equally as good as "philosophize this"

[@Friedolays]

Some claim that the technology to read your mind via high band wave has been developed. Others say its been implemented.

[@MrTypicalPlayer]

“Philosophize this” is a channel I’ll recommend to anyone starting out getting into philosophy.

[@Forgiveness-h2r]

@MrTypicalPlayer definitely. However it's also a decent channel for philosophy veterans as well.

[@MrTypicalPlayer]

@@Forgiveness-h2r I’m no philosophy Veteran myself, but I have definitely learned a lot (and picked up a few new books) listening to the podcast. So good to know.

[@ElijahMeunier]

2016 was peak but after 2019, it hasn’t felt real

[@lad4830]

Covid was beginning of the Matrix. Nothing is real now

[@Lolo_tl]

People don't believe me when i say 2016 was peak because the world started slowly going downhill in 2017

[@clayrivera2710]

yup

[@apexheat6553]

I think alot has to do with nostalgia. Every generation said some time in their past was the best in history. Now we use hind sight to reminisce how ' perfect' it was back then

[@StreetForged]

I remember thinking 2016 was the first year that started to seem off

[@suchislife801]

Not 2016, 2006 actually. 2006 was the year Steve Jobs cursed the world with Social Networking in the palm of your hands and then passed away shortly after. Ever since that moment, society has been declining and it will not ever get back to what it was. It will also not ever get better. Only a massive Solar Flare could help us at this point. I know it's a cliche but, The Matrix really has you.

[@notevencalm]

For me things went downhill from 2015

[@DenisEneotescu]

It’s f up that social media triggers our nostalgia

[@satyaashrai]

nostalgia is a cruel liar that makes things look romanticizable than it was.

[@Litepaw]

Good example is: "I looooove the 90s" ..forgets about the crazy recession and political uncertainty coming from the collapse of the Soviet union.

[@Tyler_Adhikari]

Yessssssssssss ❤❤❤❤

[@402verse]

I miss the early to mid 2010s

[@josiahz21]

100%. Every generation complains about the next generation, forgetting they were once the ones being complained about. Despite everything getting slowly better everyone believes things are getting worse.

[@sparkyfromel]

Can't remember the 70ies , just a blur of drinks drugs sex and rock and roll , I guess it must have been difficult

[@Dracula926]

I was born in 77 so I grew up in the 80s and early 90s. I get nostalgic about that era. To me those were to best years ever. I wish I could go back. 😢

[@brennenhrebeniuk9661]

The idea that 2016 was the "last good year" is really tied to our own experiences and stages of life. For me, I graduated in 2018, and 2019 was my best year-a time when I felt healthy, happy, and energized, ready to step confidently into the next phase of my life. When COVID hit, it felt like everything came to a standstill, leaving me feeling stuck. But, in hindsight, it became a crucial part of my journey. The setback forced me to find resilience and bounce back from adversity, ultimately shaping me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

[@1vory1]

Nostalgia is probably the most middle ground between euphoria and misery. Lowkey Bittersweet

[@Litepaw]

My life from the 90s until 2016: Decently fulfilling, despite trauma and shit. My life from 2016 to 2024: laying alone in my bed doomscrolling from day to day

[@hribas122]

If you know it , Then stop and go to work.

[@MrRobot-jb5tI]

To say that 2016 was peak is just a distraction from the emptiness of existence. While people may fondly remember it, it was also a time of chaos and division. Trends in society come and go, and the good stuff we tie that year to were nothing but illusions. Thinking back on the past won’t change the meaninglessness of life. whether it was a good year or not, the emptiness remains, as life inevitably moves toward the void.

[@Colorado-Coyote]

I have fun all the time. I don't feel like life is empty. I mean to be fair I live in colorado and constantly go places like garden of the gods, red rocks, manatou springs, and all the other beutifull stuff we have.

[@thespicyonion3362]

That just like your opinion bro

[@Bahamut998]

2016 was absolutely peak clown world and the Trump Presidency was toxicity central. 2001 was the start of North American decline, and 2008 was the true collapse (financial crisis).

[@Cryogenik_1]

I read this as black metal lyrics

[@eliasstenman3710]

Only a matter of time until someone comments a Harambe joke

[@LiqmaBallzac]

To late you already did!!

[@evo1ov3]

That was the best meme

[@mrgtmodernretrogamingtech6891]

2016... When Socialmedia and Smartphone become common in our Society... See the pattern?

[@train-station-2693]

Bro 2016 was sooo goood I miss those days bro 🥲

[@mylesgray3470]

Yea, it’s kinda funny to see the demand for old vehicles skyrocket as people try and buy the vehicles they drove in high school or college. Compared to modern cars, they are slow, noisy, unreliable, and uncomfortable yet people are paying new vehicle prices for these old cars for the nostalgia. Illogical, but part of the fun being human.

[@swinnyuk6584]

The thing that we get tripped up by, with nostalgia, is that we think we are remembering external circumstances and longing for them, when in fact we are remembering an internal state and projecting it on to past circumstances. If your mental isn’t right, no external circumstances will change it. Just about any circumstance in existence can be either beautiful and loving or terrifying and sad, depending upon the state of the mind that perceives it.

[@marinoceccotti9155]

"Don't look at the past. It's not where you're going."

[@Imsodone92k]

Yeah, but it's where I'd rather be.

[@Colorado-Coyote]

My life will peak when metroid prime 4, skate 4, gta 6 and elderscrols 6 come out.

[@Blaczek297]

it will not be the same like it's predecesors, there is a high chance that you will go back to older entries because of nostalgia

[@lethalwolf7455]

Love ya Aperture!

[@kjshattuck3175]

I like the insert of your buddies voiceover. Nice change👍

[@jjeKKell]

When everything becomes political, art and culture dies. This combined with smartphones - which have lobotomized an entire generation, and provides a near infinite supply of "personally algorithmized" content, that silos each and every person into their own little corner of the internet - cuts people off from one another, or pits them against each other, and denies them the "water cooler conversations" we once had about shared experiences; listening to the same music, or watching the same TV shows, before everything was "politicized." ... gone are our conversations, neighbor to neighbor, patio to patio, sidewalk to front yard... People today are more atomized than ever. What we are "nostalgic" for is other people. We create for other people. We express ourselves and make art for other people. All the things worth living for we find in other people. THIS is society. THIS is culture. And, it will never be found by isolating ourselves into algorithmically driven, propagandized, corners of the internet, meant to scramble our minds, control our votes, and turn us into consumers.

[@ungabunga7]

EVERYTHING AND THE ONLY THING YOU ARE IS -> MEMORY / MEMORIES.

[@michaelmaddox2536]

Jokes on you, I'm from the ghetto. I left DC and moved to Houston for a year. In that year, 2 of my best friends died. I then moved to Minnesota and have been here for 7 years. My life has only improved a great deal. My greatest interaction with nostalgia is with the MTG trading card game.

[@thedarklord___7157]

Right after Harambe died, it all went to shit

[@fideldisalvo]

I don't reflect on the past often and rarely ever get nostalgia, but I do acknowledge that compared to the world today, such a beautiful time to be alive, so many beautiful memories that make life worth it🥰 my life has been packed with beauty and craziness and I'm so grateful for everything and look forward to the future.

[@pgmaniak2019]

This is exactly what I thought few days ago, 2016 was the last year where world was "normal"

[@Colorado-Coyote]

It was never normal. Every year has its conflicts and benefits and is everchanging. What year do you think people will be nostalgic about 10,00 years from now. Maybe they'll also be nostalgic for a time they never lived in aka today the day and age where electronic technology skyrocketed.

[@kevingonzalez-james6421]

I felt like I was stuck in 2016 nostalgia and euphoria for a few years. Probably one of the best years of my life. I just got out of it and back to life after the world came back after the pandemic.

[@zz-0]

It peaked around the late 2000s and started rolling clearly downhill around 2010-2012. 2016 might have been a peak within the 2010s but it definitely wasn't THE peak in the bigger picture, sh*t was already tanking by then.

[@GoonerC5011]

I said this but just stated 2010. Definitely 2010-2012 was the start of the actual end so to speak.. the no turning back 😢

[@mattggonzz]

Videos like this one just add to the already negative vibe. Avoid people and KZbin channels that bring you down.

[@_Ls21]

I feel like these videos have taken a toll. I haven't been here the longest but this doesn't feel like what I subbed to. I don't want sunny v3

[@BromanderBrody]

Amazing video Aperture, thank you.

[@troyn5305]

I remember when 2016 was touted as a “horrible” and “tragic” year. crazy how far we have come

[@therestlessanxiouschild]

“Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one's living in - it's a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.”

[@Colorado-Coyote]

Does Noah have his own channel where he just deep dives into the meaning of various words and their relivance in society?

[@blimeygirl4357]

the second type of nostalgia makes me think of that lcd soundsystem lyric "borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties"

[@MourningCoffeeMusic]

I’m not obsessed with 2016. 2012/2013 was better, early 2000s and the 90s as a whole. I think it has to do with age. I was already in the my 20s in 2016, and even though there was a lot of exciting things going on then I had more exciting years before and after that year. Every year has its highs and lows.

[@Blaczek297]

90s 2000s and 2010s was the best era to live, 2020s feel sht and deppresing for me I mean this decade feels empty so nostalgia occurs even more

[@CrashOut7]

We got GTA 6 before 2016 Nostalgia

[@402verse]

We got gta 5 before 2002 nostalgia

[@JeroBagg]

GTA has been the quintessential nostalgia game since Vice City was the call back to the 80s.

[@playpal9950]

You forgot the most significant death in 2016. Harambe RIP 😔

[@danielfuller35]

For my gaming nostalgia I play emulators on my iPhone. GBA, GBC, n64 works but it’s a bit wonky might just buy one. I’ve started to collect old Pokemon cards again but only the first few sets of holos.

[@LeviRobinson270]

Most people think that investing in cryptocurrencies is just buying and holding until it rises, but the best investments on cryptocurrency is by putting it an investment to make good profits

[@YhBb-l8y]

Assets that can make one successful in life

[@YhBb-l8y]

I. Forex 2.Stocks 3.Shares

[@YhBb-l8y]

forex is profitable and lucrative investment online

[@Rose_j101]

You are right.

[@Rose_j101]

But I don't know why people remain poor due to ignorance

[@thecreamyone3606]

Finally, New Material 👍💫

[@imstarbuck1465]

The start of Obama's 2nd term was when things started to go downhill. He forgot about unity and started his belief on partisanship.

[@gray9916]

The only critique is that you said Gen X and Millenials are the same when they are two different generations.

[@tryaluck]

You beat me to it but my comment has slightly different info so I'll leave it up.😊

[@T.hunstiger]

I noticed the same thing.

[@MrAnonymous406]

Millennials are gen Y not X

[@LivingStoically-BC]

The true power of Stoicism lies not in avoiding hardships, but in facing them with courage and grace. Thank you for sharing these timeless insights!

[@seannewchurch2924]

People love the old media cause it was so simple digital streaming can be great but having a physical copy Will always be King

[@JeroBagg]

A lot (if not the majority) of people that yearn for old media are the people that never had to deal with it. Vinyl sucked. CDs were better but were still a pain. VHS was horrid. DVDs weren't that good either. I never had a BluRay nor would I ever want one. Streaming is a dream come true.

[@njd9143]

2012- beginning of the end 2016- last good year 2024- complete dystopia

[@Gonnie6969]

2001 was the beginning of the end

[@GoonerC5011]

Spot on but I'd say 2010- 2012 beginning of the end.

[@JeroBagg]

Very good. Yes 2012 is the last honest year, but things have been going downhill since the 80s. The 80s was the last "real" decade. I wouldn't call 2024 dystopia though. The advancements in AI is so much fun. And now there's the chance of humanoid robots becoming ubiquitous. It seems like there is a lot of fun to be had on the horizon.

[@Raees.S]

All this talk about nostalgia is giving me nostalgia...

[@thlvsngwrtr8644]

Why is this video making me cry?

[@FatPandaKungfu]

This video… it’s as if a new lens was placed before my eyes, one that refracts the ordinary into a thousand shimmering facets, each illuminating a hidden truth I’d missed before. Every scene, every shift in light and shadow, felt like a revelation, as though the entire cosmos had conspired to communicate something ancient and essential directly to my soul. It wasn’t merely a sequence of images and sounds; it was an invitation to unravel the layered tapestry of existence, to see beyond the familiar fabric of my reality and peer into the vast, interconnected design that binds us all. With each frame, I felt the walls of my mind stretching, expanding into spaces of wonder I hadn’t known existed. Colors seemed brighter, thoughts seemed deeper; suddenly, the world felt less like a maze of fragmented moments and more like an endless, boundless river, with each twist and turn carrying us toward some great, unknown destination. I found myself marveling at the smallest details-the way a shadow falls, the way a breeze moves a single leaf-understanding, at last, that beauty is in every inch of this world, if only we dare to see it. This video was not just a story-it was a mirror, held up to my own spirit, reflecting a perspective that defied everything I thought I understood. I walked away changed, my heart heavier with knowledge, yet somehow lighter, as though I’d glimpsed a truth larger than myself, vast and luminous. It was an awakening, a reminder that life is not measured in moments passed, but in those we truly feel.

[@thecreamyone3606]

Brilliant!

[@petersarubbi]

Millennials are Gen Y... Don't include or confuse Gen X with Millennials... big difference

[@neutral_narr]

I don't think 2016 wasn't so much the last "good" year but when things started to go wrong. The realization of the illusion many of us Zoomers had lived in and the hardships that followed.

[@davidbgooch9587]

Na life started going down hill when social media came about

[@morgunstyles7253]

The internet died in 2016. Now its not much more than the tabloids at the check out line.

[@yumkikko]

Yay! Thank you!

[@HotTakeAndy]

Ironic that my Facebook memory today was a picture of a can of Surge I paid way too much for on eBay to relive my teenage years.

[@prof.rafaelsaraivacampos]

Woke culture and cancel culture started to grow in 2016. This marks the beginning of the downfall

[@riseoftheright5781]

Love this channel

[@Davey97]

I havent been telling people this for years.

[@aguadoll8162]

just bc its from the past, doesn’t mean certain attributes from 2016 can’t be brought here, just bc everything on the mainstream “cool kids table” of the internet/society is overly politicized and cookie cutter, doesn’t mean we have to live with that simply bc it’s the “modern day”, just the edgy stuff of that time, truly brought ppl together, as well as the overall pace in creativity and culture, that can still happen today, everything is just politically algorithmized, nothing is unapologetic anymore.

[@LACHAE19]

❤First!! Keep it coming love you videos 😊

[@composerpatrick]

It's only a smoky distraction to distort our view of the war. We need to go further than flip phones...we need playing cards and board games, bicycles and basketball courts, bugs and first kisses, dreams and fantasies. But we also need to face now, NOW. Or we have no future...many problems to address. If everyone did just a lil better for themselves today, that would add up to a better humanity tomorrow. It would work fast too!! If you think we peaked, we are doomed :( If you think we have better places to get to, let's!!!!!

[@axeliance7298]

People never believed nor never will understand why this all happened because Harambe died.

[@JeroBagg]

I was too busy at the time to know what Harambe was. I'm still not sure what it was all about. Someone killed a gorilla?

[@GandalfTheGreen710]

Honestly 2016 to 2020 was pretty good for me. Then covid

[@maxipus972]

plz make music less loud..

[@KevinVeroneau]

Hmm, I think your friend Noah just said that Gen X and Millennial are one and the same... That is incorrect, and misinformation. Gen X is before my generation, the millennial. I'm sure it was an honest mistake, but felt necessary to correct it to prevent the flow of misinformation.

[@are_you_f_serious]

No offence, but what's going on here? How can it be that you sound like a wise old guru from the mountains while Noah sounds like he turned 17 last week? - Your voice is really something special dude

[@basically_chris]

Drink every time he says nostalgia.

[@ApertureThinking]

lol

[@brandonvillatuya9539]

For me 2016 was one of the best years of my life. Oddly enough, I hated 2017 more than I hated 2020.

[@shanesmith734]

2017 was my peak. I'm 30 now.

[@vibetech89]

And Society had fallen in 2019.

[@itzhexen0]

It's because of the internet not because of Nostalgia.

[@itzhexen0]

Globalization and everyone has the same personality crap.

[@itzhexen0]

Basically most of you are fake and screwing up everything.

[@clayrivera2710]

@@itzhexen0 its because of a lot of things but yes not because of nostalgia itself

[@guardsenjoyer]

Greatest year OAT

[@blaidd-ppga]

wish your videos were in 4k or atleast 1440p...

[@unprankable666]

As usual, the issue is humans. Specifically, human greed. CGP Grey was asked in a Q&A if he could change anything about human nature, what would it be. He answered that human tribalism is a double edged sword. Humans do use their tribalism to create teamwork and teamwork is how we make society, but the bad comes from the tendency to build a totem of the "other side" to yell at. If he could remove the human tendency to build such totems while still allowing the teamwork needed to build society, he'd do that. I mention this because I agree completely. I was raised to be open minded. To understand other perspectives, even if I don't agree with them. And that has led me to love learning and always trying to find a way to calm a situation down, while still setting my boundaries in a collected and respectful manner. I try to be flexible, but not completely fluid. The Internet is the largest collection of all human knowledge in a single system, so seeing people use that system to spread misinformation directly next to the truth they could easily look up, pisses me off to no end. I let those feelings pass, and I continue knowing that they choose to be stupid. It's their life, their choice to make, and it doesn't affect me unless I let it. Sorry for the rant, it's just sad to see all the things humans can do, but refuse to because they want to be greedy or "right." TL;DR I was raised to be open minded and not greedy, so seeing people be ignorant, greedy, or just outright stupid makes me really sad.

[@M00nageDaydream83]

I want Bowie back 😢 I've been saying it ever since he died...the world hasn't been the same.

[@CrashOut7]

Ill come back to this comment in 1 year to see how you all feel about it. 🍀 Man 2016-2017 was amazing run, music was amazing, groceries were affordable, people werent as divided as they are now and earth was probably a little better too before we found out about global warming and micro plastics in our bodies... Yes we lost harmbre but going forward we lost a lot more than we thought. Sad times... Eventually things will get worse before it gets better. Please share your experiences below in the comments.

[@smartphonearcs]

Look at the graphics, from 1973 it all went down, but we didn't peak yet in modern turms, still people had everything needed, they weren't tempted with unhealthy sedentary lifestyle where you don't have to leave the house. This isn't progress

[@tigerking1329]

Train your algo, algorithm to inspire, up to one as to what to consume. The age of gods is upon us, Evolve or die monkeys.😊 Music is a tool, etc... Go stream Mozarts memory's though his songs. 😅

[@Daxtonsphilosophy]

It’s kind of crazy to me that people think 2016 is where things peaked but I personally think all the way up to 2019 was great. Granted I’m still agreeing we had our societal problems but it was Covid that made things gloomy for me, well actually it was 2021, even 2020 was a good year for me but I’m the wierd guy when it comes to that one, I just got lucky and had an amazing job and awesome parties that year

[@ShaneB24642]

I am really getting fed up of people saying that the world is becoming a worse and worse place over time and that it peaked in [insert arbitrary year in the past here]. The world changes constantly and society has its ups and downs. Some places are better than others and some are worse and even if the world seems to be getting worse, it is only doing so in the short term and only in particular parts of the world. Each generation also has its own opinion as to when the 'good old days' were so clearly there is also no consensus as to when the world started getting 'worse'. This is all to say that everyone has different lives and experiences depending on who they are, where they lived etc. and while to some, their lives and those of others around them seem to be getting worse, to others it is the opposite and still to other their lives are getting neither better nor worse. Also, if you actually look into it, it is pretty clear that, overall, the world is getting better in the long-term due to improvements in healthcare, technology, education, science etc. Ultimately, many of the problems we face in society today have existed in some form for many years before us and will continue to exist going forward but many of these problems have gotten better there are also several examples of pre-existing problems being solved. At the end of the day, I believe that this general idea of the world becoming a worse and worse place has come about as result of negativity bias and the media focusing on, exacerbating and spreading negative events rather than positive ones. But the truth is that there is so much to love about today's day and age if you look hard enough and try to appreciate this.

[@sal4823]

I've always said 2016 was my best year.

[@liaml.e.5964]

Those were the days...

[@talosseptim592]

Nah 2012 was peak 2016 was the start of the downfall

[@Reincarnation-IsReal]

Phone should of stopped at the flip

[@CloudCoderChap]

Wouldn’t the generation before have said the phone should have stopped at the house phone? And the one before that saying that we should have stopped at sending letters.

[@Reincarnation-IsReal]

@@CloudCoderChap sending a message outside your home anywhere is a must

[@CloudCoderChap]

My point is you drew an arbitrary line in the sand based on what you think and need, not on what is or isn’t a benefit to society as a whole. To your last point, I don’t believe the world was crumbling when we couldn’t send messages outside of the home.

[@onelove1968]

Society peaked in 1989.

[@rob100289]

I agree. That being said, I was born in 1989.

[@Colorado-Coyote]

For me, life never peaked in any year. It's always been amazing, and I love every day I have and thank the universe for giving me the experience to exsist and live at all.

[@JeroBagg]

Society always has peaks and valleys. But in terms of entertainment, the 80s were the last great decade.

[@siyolisemvundlela718]

music has been good this year tho

[@T.hunstiger]

Not quite sure why your friend said, millennials, and generation X making them sound like the same, when they are clearly very different.

[@user-tr9rw7ne8x]

It was definitely 2019, we were more advanced than 2016.

[@GoonerC5011]

Id say 2010 was the turn of it all

[@GamerCrewUK]

Shout out to Southampton University! Up the saints! 🥇

[@tsteinman]

The Cubs is why 2016 was great.

[@high2407]

in true old internet fashion: frist ah fuck first

[@Someone_wrf]

2016 was the time I about gave up hope in life with the amount of major celebrity deaths, especially with George Michael and Gene Wilder😢

[@pooshmcfly1525]

2016 nba season was the best ever

[@not_a_sp00k]

lol if you’re a slave to your smartphone, you are the problem not the phone.

[@notimportant8643]

2016??? I think you are thinking about the pre Nixon/Reagan times which was the last time wages kept up with productivity, 2016 sucked lmao

[@tigerking1329]

😂People can't afford to do what others are doing. Tech is supposed to be ones second brain or calculter. Sure not everyone is interested in learning magic i.e tech. When one dosent like their job i.e directive, is up to how one reacts.😊 Your losing me Apature 😅

[@Souldamnation13]

You'r videos are peaking as we speak

[@DylanMcGrath-n4o]

I say this all the time

[@r.b.5524]

Sad to see what appears to be a bunch of under-30 yr olds pining for "the good old days". ALREADY? Gee... I'm afraid of what you'll all be like in 30 more years..if you don't off yourselves first. Life is UP, and life is DOWN. Our recent history includes the rise of the internet/social media/climate change/increased loneliness/post-Pandemic malaise and a rise in willful ignorance and susceptibility to tribalism. Every generation faces its own set of challenges. The issue is: What are YOU going to do about it? What kind of world do you plan to leave for generations to come? Make it so.

[@tryaluck]

07:35 "millennials aka GEN X" is wrong, milenials are GEN Y, GEN X is the forgotten generation, 1965-1980 and GEN Y is 1980-1997.