Was 2016 actually the best year ever? Beyond the nostalgia, 2016 was a major turning point in global politics, marked by the Brexit referendum, Donald Trump’s election as US president, terror attacks across Europe, and the rapid rise of misinformation on social media. As online conversations revisit 2016 as a “better time,” the historical record shows a year already shaped by political division, security fears and changing media trust, raising the question of whether we miss the year itself, or