The main risk facing Instagram is that, as the world changes rapidly, the platform fails to keep up. Looking forward to 2026, a major change: authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible.
Everything that makes creators important – the ability to be real, the ability to connect, the ability to have a voice that can’t be faked – is now accessible to anyone with the right tools. Deepfakes are getting better. Al produces photos and videos indistinguishable from the captured media.
Power has shifted from institutions to individuals because the Internet has made it so that anyone with a compelling idea can find an audience. The cost of information distribution is zero.
Individuals, not publishers or brands, established that there is a significant market for people’s content. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. We’ve turned to self-captured content from creators we trust and admire.
We love to complain about “AI slop”, but there’s a lot of amazing AI stuff out there. However, quality AI content also has a look: very smooth, skin very smooth. This will change – we’re going to see more realistic AI stuff.
Authenticity is becoming a scarce resource, leading to greater demand for creator content, not less. Bar “Can you create?” Transferring from. “Can you create something that only you can create?”
Unless you’re under 25, you probably think of Instagram as a feed of square photos: polished makeup, smooth skin, and beautiful landscapes. That bait is dead. People stopped sharing personal moments years ago.
The primary way people share now is through DMs: blurry photos and shaky videos of daily experiences. Shoe shot. And obnoxiously candid.
This raw beauty has spilled over into public content and all art forms.
Camera companies are betting on the wrong aesthetics. They have been competing to make everyone look like a pro photographer since 2015. But in a world where AI can generate flawless imagery, a professional look becomes everything.
Flattering imagery is cheap to create and boring to consume.
People want content that feels real. Savvy creators are leaning toward unpolished, ineffective images. In a world where everything can be perfect, imperfection becomes a sign.
Rawness is no longer just an aesthetic preference – it’s proof. It is defensive. A way of saying: It’s real because it’s imperfect.
Relatively quickly, the AI will create any aesthetic you like, including an imperfect aesthetic that presents as authentic. At that time we need to focus our attention on who says something rather than what is being said.
For most of my life I could safely assume that photos or videos were largely accurate pictures of the moments that happened. This is clearly no longer the case and it will take us years to adapt.
We’re moving from believing that what we see is real by default, to beginning with doubt. Pay attention to who is sharing something and why. This would be inconvenient – we are genetically conditioned to trust our eyes.
Platforms like Instagram will do a good job at identifying AI content, but they will get worse at it over time as AI gets better. It would be more practical to fingerprint genuine media than counterfeit media.
Camera manufacturers will cryptographically sign images at the time of capture, creating a chain of custody.
Labeling is only part of the solution. We need to bring a lot more to the table
Context about accounts sharing content so people can make informed decisions. Who is behind the account?
In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity – by being genuine, transparent and consistent – will stand out.
We need to create the best creative tools. Label AI-generated content and verify authentic content. Superficial credibility cues about who is posting. Continue to improve rankings for originality.
Instagram will have to evolve more quickly in many ways.
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