# Throwback Thursday Throwback Thursday is a weekly social media tradition where users post old photos of themselves every Thursday, tagged with #throwbackthursday or #tbt. What began as scattered blog columns in 2006 took off on Instagram in late 2011 after hashtags were introduced, growing into one of the platform's defining recurring hashtag rituals by 2013. ## Origin The earliest documented use of the phrase "Throwback Thursday" appeared in January 2006 on a blog by animator Saxton Moore, who titled a series of retro cartoon character redesigns "Throwback Thursdays"[4]. That July, the sneaker site Nice Kicks launched its own Throwback Thursday column, kicking off with a 1991 Nike Air Trainer SC II post that would run through June 2012[3]. Also in July 2006, Georgia Tech staged a Throwback Thursday football game with players wearing 1970s-style uniforms, per Know Your Meme's history of the tag[1]. The word "throwback" itself had already been circulating as slang for classic or vintage items, with its first Urban Dictionary definition dating to 2003[5]. By 2011, the Thursday framing started showing up more frequently in blog posts tied to nostalgic topics[1]. - **Platform:** Blogosphere (early use) / Instagram (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2006 ## Overview Throwback Thursday works as a weekly ritual: every Thursday, users dig up an old photo of themselves, a childhood snapshot, a middle school yearbook pic, a party from a decade ago, and post it with #throwbackthursday or the shortened #tbt[1]. The format travels well because the rules are loose. Urban Dictionary's 2012 entry noted the photo should be "from a different era" of the poster's life, with cheeky exceptions allowed for recent pictures that still hit the right vintage energy[2]. The tag isn't limited to personal photos. Brands post archival ads, sports teams share old jerseys, and music accounts pull up vintage album covers. The sneaker blog Nice Kicks built an entire recurring column around the idea, highlighting discontinued or vintage Nike silhouettes[3]. The common thread is simple nostalgia, with the Thursday cadence giving it a built-in schedule. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Throwback Thursday? Throwback Thursday is a weekly social media tradition where people post old photos of themselves or other vintage content every Thursday under the hashtags #throwbackthursday or #tbt[1]. ### Where did Throwback Thursday come from? The earliest known use was a January 2006 blog series of retro cartoon redesigns by animator Saxton Moore[4], followed by a Nice Kicks sneaker column that July[3]. It took off as a hashtag ritual on Instagram in late 2011[1]. ### What does Throwback Thursday mean? It means posting a photo from an earlier era of your life, or any vintage item, on a Thursday, per Urban Dictionary's 2012 definition that specified the photo should be "from a different era"[2]. ### How do you use Throwback Thursday? Pick an old photo, post it on a Thursday, and tag it with #throwbackthursday or the shortened #tbt; by July 2012 #tbt was already Instagram's 15th most popular tag[1]. ### Is Throwback Thursday still popular? The hashtags grew into the tens of millions of posts by May 2013 across Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter, and the Thursday posting ritual stuck as a recurring social media habit[1]. ## References 1. [https://mashable.com/2012/01/14/the-10-most-noteworthy-photos-twitter/#_]() 2. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Throwback%20Thursday]() 3. [https://www.nicekicks.com/tag/throwback-thursday/]() 4. [https://sacks10.blogspot.com/2006/01/throwback-thursdays-10.html]() 5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=throwback]() 6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/throwback-thursday]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/throwback-thursday Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library