We need to stop saying “authenticity.”
It’s become the biggest buzzword in the creator economy. Authenticity is plastered on pitch decks, spoken on stages and creeps into content, even when you try to avoid it.
The flood of AI-generated content this year has added even more fuel to the frenzy. Creators and industry leaders are using the word as a way to differentiate themselves and remain relevant.
But “authenticity” on social media is a myth. It also doesn’t matter as much to audiences as many creators and business leaders think.
Only 35% of Gen Zers consider “authenticity” a top quality in influencers they engage with, compared with about half of consumers overall, according to 2024 data from Sprout Social. And people were more likely to engage with entertaining or funny than “authentic” content from creators, per a March survey by EMARKETER and Impact.com.
Authenticity is defined as “not false or imitation” or “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.” In other words, being authentic means being real, unique and genuine.
Within the creator economy, being authentic also means producing content that is unpolished, unfiltered and sometimes unhinged.
Some of this is probably a simple rejection of the word, rather than its meaning. Gen Zers, in particular, have long fought back against established labels or terms, even as they’ve adopted ones of their own. That applies to everything from how they express gender identity to the slang they use.
Pinterest’s annual “Pinterest Predicts” report, which tends to be accurate at spotting trends early, is a case in point. It shows that personal expression and identity curation, which are key characteristics of being authentic, will remain among the biggest social media trends next year.
But there’s likely more to it than that. Gen Z, more than any other generation, understands that authenticity from influencers is now largely performative: Even though posts may look unfiltered, feeds are still highly curated.
They know that a 30-second TikTok clip filmed in a messy bedroom can take hours to edit and script—and is probably one of thousands of lookalike videos. And for them, the shift from the picture-perfect, millennial pink Instagram aesthetic to the raw, lo-fi feel of TikTok never felt as jarring (or freeing) as it did for older generations.
They also understand that many creators now have managers, agents and other representatives refining their image and what they put out into the world. (We discussed this further on our podcast this week. Watch below or tune in wherever you get your podcasts.)
Gen Alpha, the oldest of whom will turn 13 in 2026 (!) are growing up in an AI world. For them, virtual influencers, AI slop and ChatGPT will be a normal part of their online experience, just like TikTok and algorithm-driven feeds are for Gen Z.
And it’s not just young people. For everyone, the lines between what’s “real” and what’s not are blurring as more creators, businesses and regular people use AI to express themselves online.
Even people who say they dislike or distrust AI content are engaging with it, intentionally or not: One AI podcasting company, for example, has amassed 12 million downloads.
As we head into 2026, creators and business leaders need to leave the word “authenticity” behind. Instead, they should focus on what really sets creators apart from AI and other content we consume: Personal experience, expertise and their relationship with fans.
In other news…
The YouTube Oscars
The Oscars will begin streaming on YouTube in 2029. That means the awards show, which has been broadcast on ABC for about 50 years, may not air on traditional TV for the first time.
YouTube has been saying all year that it’s the new TV. It’s getting harder and harder to argue that it isn’t. Awards shows and sports—which YouTube has also been pushing into—are two of the main reasons why people still tune into traditional TV. With YouTube now home to both, big advertisers have fewer reasons left to not shift what’s left of their linear TV ad budgets to YouTube.
The Oscars also stand to gain. Awards shows have been steadily losing relevance and viewership. YouTube could help them regain cultural cachet and access to a whole new audience, for many of whom creators, rather than Hollywood stars, are the new celebrities.
We expect creators to be a big part of the Oscars, given that YouTube will now control everything from the Oscars announcement to the red carpet pre-show. Tune into Thursday’s podcast to hear more of our thoughts on this move.
The Round Up
Netflix announced yet another podcasting deal, this time with Barstool Sports. Three of the company’s shows including “Pardon My Take” will premiere their video versions exclusively on Netflix in the US early next year. The announcement, which follows Netflix’s previous deals with iHeartMedia and Spotify, comes as the streamer looks to more aggressively compete with YouTube.
Fixated, a creator management and monetization company, announced a $50 million strategic investment from investment firm Eldridge Industries.
Facebook is running a test that limits some professional profiles and Pages to publishing just two organic posts with external links per month unless they pay for Meta Verified, its subscription service. This feels like an ad play as much as a subscription revenue play, as it could force businesses to buy ads. Affiliate links and links to other Meta platforms are also excluded. Of course, there are workarounds: Users could post additional links in comments as is already common on LinkedIn. Posts with links already tend to get less reach, so it’s not likely to meaningfully hurt engagement.
Instagram is cracking down on hashtags. The company said users will only be able to include up to 5 hashtags in the caption of a post or Reel. Using fewer, more targeted hashtags rather than “many generic ones” improves a post’s performance, according to the company. Plus, it will be less annoying to other Instagram users.
Tubi debuted a new show called “Speed” from creator and filmmaker Kinigra Deon, who has 14 million followers across social media. The show was developed with Spotter, best known for providing YouTubers with upfront financing. The streaming platform has stepped up efforts this year to bring more content from creators to its ad-supported service.
LinkedIn released its own year in review feature. We learned that we spent a lot of time on LinkedIn this year: We were both among the top 5% of most active users on the platform.
Substack is adding auto-generated thumbnails for live video recordings, in an effort to make creators’ videos look more engaging.
ICYMI: Warner Bros Discovery rejected Paramount’s hostile $108 billion bid. WBD’s board called the offer “illusory” and accused the company of misleading shareholders about its financing. Netflix previously announced it would acquire Warner Bros. We discussed how a Netflix takeover would put pressure on YouTube in a recent episode of our podcast. We also went deeper on the topic in a previous newsletter.
By the Numbers
YouTube viewers watched more than 700 million hours of podcasts on living room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million hours a year ago, the company announced on Thursday.
Talent Tracker
Monica Khan is now a creator economy senior advisor at McKinsey. Khan, who previously held roles at companies including Spotter and Meta, will still continue to manage creators.
David Cohen, a former editor at Adweek, is now the editor of "Meredith & The Media,” a media-focused newsletter on Substack started by Meredith Klein, a former PR executive for Pinterest and Walmart.
