The main risk Instagram faces is that as the world changes faster, the platform fails to keep up. While waiting for 2026, a major change: authenticity becomes infinitely reproducible.
Everything that made creators great—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that can’t be faked—is now available to anyone with the right tools. Deepfakes are getting better. Al generates photos and videos indistinguishable from captured media.
Power shifted from institutions to individuals because the Internet made it possible for anyone with a compelling idea to find an audience. The cost of disseminating information is zero.
It is individuals, not publishers or brands, who have established that there is a significant market for content from individuals. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. We turned to self-captured content from creators we trust and admire.
We like to complain about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content out there. Even quality AI content has a look: too smooth, skin too smooth. This is going to change: we’re going to see more realistic AI content.
Authenticity is becoming a scarce resource, leading to increased demand for creator content, not less. The bar goes from “can you create?” to “can you create something that only you could create?”
Unless you’re under 25, you probably think of Instagram as a feed of square photos: polished makeup, smoothing skin, and gorgeous scenery. This flow is dead. People stopped sharing personal moments for nourishment years ago.
The main way people share now is through DMs: blurry photos and shaky videos of everyday experiences. Shoe kicks. and unflattering candids.
This raw aesthetic has spilled over into public content and all art forms.
Camera manufacturers are betting on poor aesthetics. They’re competing to make everyone look like a professional photographer from 2015. But in a world where AI can generate flawless images, professional looks become the tell-all.
Flattering images are inexpensive to produce and boring to consume.
People want content that feels real. Savvy designers gravitate toward unproduced and unflattering images. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal.
Brutality is no longer just an aesthetic preference, it’s proof. It’s defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it is imperfect.
Pretty quickly, the AI will create any aesthetic you like, including an imperfect aesthetic that comes across as authentic. At this point we will need to focus more on who is saying something rather than what is being said.
For most of my life, I was able to assume that photographs or videos were largely accurate captures of moments that happened. This is clearly no longer the case and it will take us years to adapt.
We will move from assuming that what we see is real by default to skepticism. Pay attention to who shares something and why. It will be uncomfortable – we are genetically predisposed to believe our eyes.
Platforms like Instagram will do a good job identifying AI content, but their situation will deteriorate over time as AI improves. It will be more convenient to take fingerprints from real media than from fake media.
Camera manufacturers will cryptographically sign images upon capture, creating a chain of custody.
Labeling is only part of the solution. We need to surface a lot more
context on 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 real, transparent and consistent – will stand out.
We need to create the best creative tools. Label AI-generated content and verify authentic content. Show credibility signals about who is posting. Keep improving the ranking for originality.
Instagram will have to evolve in several ways, and quickly.
