The key risk Instagram faces is that, as the world changes more quickly, the platform fails to keep up. Looking forward to 2026, one major shift: authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible.
Everything that made creators matter-the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn’t be faked-is now accessible to anyone with the right tools. Deepfakes are getting better. Al generates photos and videos indistinguishable from captured media.
Power has shifted from institutions to individuals because the internet made it so anyone with a compelling idea could find an audience. The cost of distributing information is zero.
Individuals, not publishers or brands, established that there’s a significant market for content from people. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. We’ve turned to self-captured content from creators we trust and admire.
We like to complain about “AI slop,” but there’s a lot of amazing AI content. Even the quality AI content has a look though: too slick, skin too smooth. That will change - we’re going to see more realistic AI content.
Authenticity is becoming a scarce resource, driving more demand for creator content, not less. The bar is shifting from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?”
Unless you are under 25, you probably think of Instagram as feed of square photos: polished makeup, skin smoothing, and beautiful landscapes. That feed is dead. People stopped sharing personal moments to feed years ago.
The primary way people share now is in DMs: blurry photos and shaky videos of daily experiences. Shoe shots. and unflattering candids.
This raw aesthetic has bled into public content and across artforms.
The camera companies are betting on the wrong aesthetic. They’re competing to make everyone look like a pro photographer from 2015. But in a world where AI can generate flawless imagery, the professional look becomes the tell.
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