为现在与未来2026而设计：人工智能时代的文艺复兴

Designingforthe

NowandNext2026

AHumanRenaissanceintheAgeofAI

ReleasedJanuary5,2026

Welcometo2026!

AHumanRenaissanceintheAgeofAI

2026won’tbeaboutmore—itwillbeaboutbetter.Afteryearsof

digitalsprawl,consumersaredonewithchaosandarecraving

simplicityviaintegratedecosystemsthatmakelifefeeleffortless.AsAIispoisedtodominatemediaengagementsandcontentcreation,

therealchallengewillbekeepingexperienceshumanbybalancingautomationwithauthenticityandethics.Inaworldofalgorithmic

sameness,personalitybecomestheedge:Brandswillwinbyaddingwit,charm,andculturaltexturetostandardizedformats.Andas

sportsremainararecommunalforce,fan-drivenengagementwillreplacetraditionalmodels,redefininghowbrandsconnect.The

futurebelongstothosewhomakemediaandtechnologyfeelhumanagain.

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

Carat’spredictionsformediain2026:

AHumanRenaissance

intheAgeofAI

Fourtrends:

HumanValuesintheAgeofAI

TheGreatRebundling

Fandomina

FragmentedSports

World

ThePowerofPersonality

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2025

2026MediaPredictions

1

TheGreatRebundling

Fragmentationpromisedfreedombutdeliveredfatigue.Afteradecadeofassemblingapps,subscriptions,anddigitalidentities,consumersaresignalingaclearpreferencetowardsystemsthatworkforthem.TheGreatRebundlingmarksaresetasmedia,

commerce,andtechnologysnapbacktowardintegratedecosystemsbuiltaroundrealhumanbehavior.

2

HumanValuesintheAgeofAI

In2026,theinternetwillbeshapedbyatensionbetweenthesurgeofAI-generatedcontentandareneweddemandforauthentic,

human-drivenexperiences.Astechnologyreshapescontent,

media,andmarketing,brandsmuststrikeabalance-efficiency

withcreativity,automationwithethics,andsafetywithmeaningfulengagementacrossplatforms.

3

ThePowerofPersonality

InaneradefinedbyAIandalgorithmicsameness,feeds

standardize,formatsblur,andculturestartstoflattenintoaseaoffamiliarity.Yetthebrandsandartistsbreakingthrougharen’t

escapingtechnology;they’rehumanizingitwithpersonality,byinjectingwit,charm,andlocaltextureintotheexperiencestheydeliver.

4

FandominaFragmentedSportsWorld

Sportsstillcreatescommunaljoyatascalenoothercategorycanmatch,buttheeraof”runthead,ownthesponsorship”isover.

Withfanscuratingtheirownexperiences,fragmentationwill

becomeboththechallengeandtheblueprintforconnection.

Thosewhoembracethisshiftwillownthefutureofsportsmarketing.

TheGreatRebundling1

Fragmentationpromisedfreedombutdeliveredfatigue.Afteradecadeofassemblingapps,subscriptions,anddigital

identities,consumersaresignalingaclearpreferencetoward

systemsthatworkforthem.TheGreatRebundlingmarksaresetasmedia,commerce,andtechnologysnapbacktoward

integratedecosystemsbuiltaroundrealhumanbehavior.Asconvenienceacceleratesandattentionconcentrates,thebrandsthatwinwillbethosethatdesignforcoherence.

Author:

LaurenDezenski

SVP,Strategy,Carat

Trends

TheStreamingShakeout

as

AItheNewInterface

CommerceConvergence

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

TheStreamingShakeout1

Peopledon’twanttothinkaboutwhere

somethinglives,theyjustwanttopressplay.

Fragmentationinterruptshabits—rebundlingrestoresthem.Thebestsystemsdon’task

peopletoassembletheirexperience.Theymeetthemwheretheyalreadyare.

Choicefatigueisdefault

Consumersarestillflockingtostreamingindrovesbutareabandoningthejobof

managingit.Subscriptionhoppingisnow

standardbehavior:signup,bingetheshoweveryone’stalkingabout,cancel,repeat.

Deloitte’s2025DigitalMediaTrendsreport

foundnearly4in10consumerscanceledatleastonestreamingserviceinthepastsix

months,withmanyre-subscribinglater1.

Streaminghasbecomesomethingpeople

activelygamebecausechoicestartedfeelinglikework.

4in10canceled1+

streamingserviceinthepastsixmonths–laterresubscribing

Lessdecisions,moredefaults

Whatconsumersarereallyaskingforisn’t

unlimitedaccess.Theywantoneplacethatknowsthem-onelogin,onebill,onementalmodelforwherethingslive.Ritualslikedate-nightmovies,kids’cartoonsafterschool,orSundaysportsdon’twantdiscoveryjourneys,butratherreliability.Seesection4wherewedeepdiveintofanfrustrationwitha

fragmentingsportslandscape.

Traditionalnetworkssolvedthisearlier.Cable

wasn’telegant,butitwascoherent.Bundles,

schedules,andsharedmomentsremoved

frictionfromeverydayviewing.Streamingblewthatmodelapartinthenameofchoiceandisrelearningwhybundlingexistedinthefirst

place.

RebundlingIstheCorrection

Platformsareresponding.Disney’s

consolidationofDisney+,Hulu,andESPNinto

tieredbundlesreflectsareturntohousehold-

basedecosystemsdesignedaroundhow

peopleactuallywatch.AmazoncontinuestofusePrimeVideo,retail,advertising,and

paymentsintoasinglemembershiplogicthatcollapsesentertainment,shopping,andloyaltyintoonesysteminthenameofusability.

WhytheWBDMomentMatters

AsofDecember2025,WarnerBros.Discovery

facesapivotalchoice:apotentialdealwith

Netflixforitsstudioandstreamingassets,oranall-cashacquisitionofferfromParamountfor

thefullcompany.TheParamountbid

reportedlyincludesa$40.4Bcommitment

backedbyLarryEllison,alongwithan

increasedbreak-upfeedesignedtoaddress

boardconcerns.Forconsumers,either

outcomewouldlikelysimplifyaccess.For

advertisers,however,thedistinctionisfarmoremeaningful.AParamountoutcomecouldhelppreservecompetition,choice,andpricing

leverage,whileaNetflixoutcomewouldfurtherconcentratepremiumattentionwithinasingledominantecosystem.AParamountacquisitioncouldresultinauniquelystrong,diversified

mediapowerhouse-spanningstreaming,film,news,cable,andsports.Andlet’sbehonest:astreamingseriesabouteverythingthatunfoldsisalmostcertainlyalreadyintheworks.Theonlyquestioniswhereitendsupairing.

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

AIastheNewInterface1

Iffragmentationpulledmediaapart,AIis

stitchingitbacktogetheractingasthe

interfacethatacceleratesrebundling.By

collapsingsearch,discovery,shopping,and

actionintoasinglelayer,AIisturning

fragmentedplatformsintounifiedecosystemsorganizedaroundhumanintent.Ineffect,AIisrebundlingtheinternetforpeopledeciding

whichsystemsmatter,whichsignalstotrust,andwhichpathwaysfeelworthfollowinginthemoment.

FromBrowsingtoAsking

Discoverynolongerstartswithahomepage.Itstartswithaquestion.Insteadofopening

apps,comparingtabs,orscrollingfeeds,

peopleincreasinglyaskAItodothefilteringforthem:WhatshouldIwatchtonight?Isthis

worthbuying?WhereshouldIgo

next?Industrycoveragehasdescribedthisshiftasthemovefrom“searchengines”to“answerengines,”whereAIcollapses

research,evaluation,andrecommendationintoasingleresponselayer3.AIremovesthefrictionofdecision-makinginaworld

overloadedwithoptions.

AIisBecomingtheFrontDoor

AIagentslikeMicrosoft’sCopilotand

Amazon’sassistantarenolonger

operatinginsideplatforms.They’re

operatingacrossthem—collapsingsearch,shopping,entertainment,andutilityintoonecontinuousflowthatanticipatesnextsteps.

Inpractice,thatmeanstheinterfacepeoplerelyonmostisn’tanapporawebsitebutthesysteminterpretingintentinrealtime.One

questionnaturallyleadstothenextactionwithoutresettingcontextorstartingover.

Thismirrorshowhumansactuallythink:non-linear,contextual,andgoal-oriented.

PeopleWantFlowOverFeeds

ThesuccessofAIinterfacesisaboutalignmentwithhumanbehavior.Peoplewant:

•Fewerdecisions,notinfiniteoptions

•Suggestionsthatfeelrelevanttothemoment

•Experiencesthatadapttomood,need,andtiming

Reportsshowthatconsumersincreasinglyexpectbrandsandplatformstoanticipateneedsbeforethey’reexplicitlystatedandthosethatdoseehigherengagementandconversionratesl4.

PlatformsareRedesigningAroundIntent

Platformsarealreadyrebuildingdiscovery

aroundthisreality.Spotify’sAI-drivenplaylistingisevolvingbeyondgenresintomoodand

moment-basedcompanionsthatfeelsituational5.

YouTubeisleaningdeeperintoAIto

interpretwhysomeoneissearchingor

watching6.AIisturningfragmentedplatformsintofewer,deeperecosystemsthatare

rebundlinghowpeoplediscover,decide,andact.

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

CommerceConvergence1

WhileStreamingandAIarerebundlinghow

peoplediscover,commerceisrebundlinghowpeopleact.Shopping,loyalty,media,and

paymentarecollapsingintosinglesystems

designedtoreduceeffortandpreserve

momentum—adefiningfeatureoftheGreatRebundling.

FromFunnelstoFlow

Traditionalfunnelsassumedpeoplewould

toleratefriction.Consumerresearchshows

thatconvenienceandfrictionreductionnowoutweighpriceorbrandloyaltyasdriversofdigitalcommercebehavior1.Peopledon’t

movestep-by-stepfromawarenessto

purchase;theymoveinloops.Theydiscoversomething,actimmediately,getrewarded,andexpectthesystemtorememberthem

nexttime.Thisisrebundlingatwork:separatemomentscollapsingintoasingle,continuousexperience.

Fooddeliverymakesthistangible:nearlyhalfofU.S.consumersnowdefaulttoaggregatorlikeDoorDashoverdirectQSRapps,choosingconsolidatedchoiceandease—evenatahighercost7.

nearlyhalfofconsumers

nowdefaulttoaggregatorQSRappsoverdirect

CommerceEcosystemsReplaceTransactions

Amazonillustratestherebundledmodelmostclearly.PrimeVideo,retail,advertising,and

paymentsdon’toperateasstandalone

products—theyreinforceeachotherinside

oneecosystem8.Shoppablevideo,contextualads,andone-clickcheckoutaren’tfeatures,

theyaredesignchoicesmeanttoeliminateresetsbetweeninterestandaction.

TikTokShopacceleratesthislogicevenfurther.Discovery,influence,checkout,andre-

engagementliveinthesameinterface,

turningculturedirectlyintocommerce.Theresultisaflattenedfunnelthatmirrorshowpeoplealreadybehavesocially—scrolling,sharing,buyingwithoutswitchingcontexts.

LoyaltyisBeingRebundledintoIdentity

Retailmedianetworksarerebundling

commercearoundidentity.Kroger’snationalexpansionofPrecisionMarketingunifiesloyaltydata,purchasebehavior,andmedia

exposureintoasinglesystemthatreflectswhosomeoneis9.

Airlinesandfinancialservicesarefollowingsuit.United’sMileagePlusecosystemincreasingly

functionsasawalletedidentityconnectingflights,creditcards,upgrades,experiences,andstatusintoonecontinuousvalueloop10.

Thisisrebundlinginpractice:loyaltyisno

longeraseparateprogram;it’sembeddedintohowpeoplemovethroughsystems.

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

TheGreatRebundling1

Howbrandscangetinvolved

PlanAroundEcosystems

Anchormediainasmallnumberofplatformswherecontent,discovery,commerce,andidentityalreadyworktogether.

ReducetheWorkfortheConsumer

Usemediatosimplifydecisionswithclearerpaths,fewermessages,andexperiencesthatdon’taskpeopletofigurethingsout.

WintheMomentofDecision

Prioritizemediathatshowsupwhenpeopleareactivelychoosingwhattowatch,buy,ordonext.

StopResettingtheExperience

Designmediasoeachexposurebuildsonthelast,carryingcontextforwardinsteadofforcingpeopletostartover.

HumanValuesInTheAgeofAI2

In2026,theinternetwillbeshapedbyatensionbetweenthe

surgeofAI-generatedcontentandareneweddemandfor

authentic,human-drivenexperiences.Astechnologyreshapescontent,media,andmarketing,brandsmuststrikeabalance—efficiencywithcreativity,automationwithethics,andsafetywithmeaningfulengagementacrossplatforms.

Author:

BinWu

AssociateDirector,Innovation,Carat

Trends

IstheInternetReallyDead?

TheRiseofAISlop

AnInternetMediatedbyAI

TheQuestforAuthenticity

AReturntoHumanValues

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IstheInternetReallyDead?2

TheDeadInternetTheory

Thedigitalecosystemisundergoingaprofoundtransformation,leadingmanytospeculate

aboutthe"DeadInternetTheory,”aconceptthatpositshuman-generatedcontentisbeingrapidlyeclipsedbyautomatedbotsandAI,

whichconsequently,diminishesthe

authenticityofonlineinteractionanddriving

downtraditionalwebsitevisitation.Whatwasonceafringeconspiracytheoryisnowa

developingmarketrealitybackedby

significantstatisticalandanecdotalevidence,andthishasfar-reachingimplicationsfor

mediaprofessionalsandmarketerswhomustnowrecalibratetheirstrategiesforaworld

definedbyAIsaturationandayearningforgenuineconnection.

AIisBecomingEmbeddedintheInternetLandscape

SincethelaunchofChatGPTinlate2022,AI

hasbeguntoreshapetheinternetfroma

predominantlyhuman-curatedlibraryintoa

constantlyupdatingstreamofsynthesized,

highlypersonalizedcontent.ThisnewwaveofAItoolshasdemocratizedcontentcreationbyloweringthebarrierstoproductionsousersofallskillandtechnicalitylevelscancreate

professional-lookingvideos,podcasts,articles,art,andmore.ThishasledtoanexplosionofAI-generatedcontentbeinguploadedand

consumedontheInternet.

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WhileithasbeenpredictedthatAIgenerated

contentwillconstitute~90%ofthewebby

2026,thecurrentrealityisthatitisabouthalf

humancreatedandhalfAIgenerated1

50%human/50%AI

Oneofthemostprevalentexamplesofthisisinthemusicindustry.Artistsandcreators

increasinglyrelyongenerativesystemsto

createmelodies,automatetechnicaltasks

suchasaudiomastering,andinstantly

generatecustomvisualassets.Onatleastonemajorstreamingplatform,morethan50,000

fullyAI-generatedtracksarenowuploaded

everyday,attractingtensofmillionsoflisteners,andsomeAI-createdsongshaveeven

reachedthetopofprominentcharts.2

AnAI-generatedCountrySongreachtheNo.01spotonBillboard,andAI-artistwassignedtoHallwoodMediafor$3million.

Atthesametime,thisrapidexpansionofAI-

generatedcontentisfuelingintensedebate

overintellectualproperty,theerosionofa

distinct“humanfingerprint,”andwhatitmeansforthefutureoftheinternetwhenAIbecomessoembeddedacrosstheentirelandscape,

fromsummarizationandcreationtoevenresponsesandunpromptedconversations.

Beyondthemusicindustry,weanticipate

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DesigningfortheNowandNext:2026

furthergrowthforotherformsofstorytellingformatslikeepisodicshows,books,andfan-fictions.

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TheRiseofAISlop

WordoftheYear:AI“Slop”

TheMerriam-WebsterDictionaryrecently

crowned”Slop”asitsWordoftheYear—

definingitas“digitalcontentoflowquality

thatisproducedusuallyinquantitybymeansofartificialintelligence.”Itreferstothisnew

phenomenonofthevast,mediocre,and

oftenrepetitivecontentgeneratedbyAI

modelstogamealgorithmsratherthaninformhumans.

Liketheoriginalsenseof”slop,”descriptiveofsomethingthatoozeseverywhere,AISlopisbecomingsopervasive,itischanginghow

peopleandtrafficnavigatetheInternet.

WhilenotallAIgeneratedcontentisdeemed‘Slop,,oursocialfeedswillincreasinglybe

inundatedwiththistypeofmediagiventheefficienciesandaccesstocreatesuch

content.

TheZero-ClickPhenomenon

Forthefirsttime,automatedactivityhas

surpassedhumanengagement,withbots

accountingfor51%ofglobalinternettrafficin2025.3TheabilityofgenerativeAItoprocess

informationandprovideimmediate,

synthesizedanswersviafeaturedsnippetsandsummarieshasfundamentallychangeour

searchbehavior.Usersareincreasinglyfindingtheiranswersdirectlywithinthesearchengineresultspages(SERPs),nearly60%ofGoogle

searchesnowconcludewithoutasingleclicktoanexternalwebsite,adramaticincrease

fromapproximately26%in2022.4ThiscreatesamovetowardsthefutureinwhichAIbecomesanaudienceandmediatorofinformation.

By2028,AIpoweredsearch-50%

couldfundamentallychangehowbrandsarediscoveredonline;itcouldreducebrands'

organicsitetrafficbyatleast50%5

SevereConsequencesforContentCreatorsandPublishers

Gartnerpredictsthat,by2028,organic

websitetrafficcouldexperiencea50%or

moredropasAI-assistedsearchbecomes

dominant.6Industriesreliantoninformationalquerieshavebeenparticularlyhardhit—forexample,newssearchesendingwithouta

clickrosefromabout56%inMay2024to

nearly69%byMay2025withtheintroductionofGoogle,sAIOverviews,confirmingthat

attentionisnowbeingconsolidatedwithin

closedAI-drivenecosystems.7Thisisforcingastructuralcollapseofthelong-standingclick-basedeconomythathassustaineddigital

publishingfordecades.

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AnInternetMediatedbyAI

PotentialtoInfluenceandShapeGreaterPublicOpinions

Withtheshifttowardsaninternetthatis

mediatedbyAI,thereareclearopportunitiestoleveragetheinfluenceofAIsynthesized

informationtoinfluencepeople.Ona

coordinatedscale,BotsandAIgenerated

commentsandresponsescanbecometheselarge,sophisticatedcampaignsthatarehighlyeffectiveinswayingpublicopinionand

disseminatingmisinformation.

Researchersfoundthatchatteronsocialmediaaboutglobaleventscomesfrom8:

20%Bots/80%Humans

AnunauthorizedstudybytheUniversityofZurichfoundthatbotswere6xmorelikely

tochangethemindsofRedditors.9

Inanactual,unapprovedRedditexperimentthatresearchersattheUniversityofZurichranonthepersuasivenessofAI:Theyfoundthat

theAIresponsesweremorepersuasivethan

majorityofthehumancommentsinchangingpeople'sviews.Whilethestudyitselfraised

majorconcernsofethicalviolationsbecausepeoplewereunknowingparticipants,the

resultsshowthattheprevalenceofthiskindofAI-generatedcontentcreatesamanipulativeandexhaustingdigitalenvironmentfor

consumers.

EnteringaStateof"VerificationFatigue"

Thecreationofthiskindofdigitalenvironmentmakesitreallydifficultforqualityinformation

tostandout,andit’sresultinginastateof

"verificationfatigue"forconsumers.Theyare

nowexperiencingcognitiveexhaustionfrom

theconstantneedtodiscernrealcontent

fromsyntheticimitations.Thisdigitalnoiseisnotmerelyanannoyance;itisactivelypushing

usersawayfromtheopenwebandintomorecontrolled,privatespaceslikeDiscordservers,newsletters,andgroupchats,where

interactionsfeelmoreauthenticandinsulatedfromthefloodofautomatedcontent.

Inresponsetothishomogenized,synthetic

internet,acounter-movementisemerging:areturntohumanvaluesandthepursuitof

authenticity.Fundamentally,this

82%

GenAIusersandexperimenterssayitcouldbemisused

33%

Saytheyhaveencountered

misleadingorinaccurateoutput

53%

MostlyoralwaysverifyGenAIoutputsindependently10

countermovementtowardmoreauthenticityandhumanconnectionisaredefinitionofhowpeoplefindtruthonline.

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TheQuestforAuthenticity

3in4

Americanswanthumanstocreatetheirnewsand

entertainmentcontent

2in3

Wanthumansmakingtheir

marketingandevenartcontent11

36%

Ofconsumersarelesslikelyto

purchasefromabrandifits

adsuseAI12

TheMillennial/GenZShift

YoungergenerationsareactivelybypassingtraditionalGooglesearchengines,whichareincreasinglyperceivedasbeingcluttered

withadsandAI-generatedresults("AIslop"),andtheyaresearchingforauthenticityandcommunity-drivencontentinstead.Thisisn'tjustaboutconvenience,atthecore,it's

abouttrust.Evenamongthosewhoare

familiarorexperimentingwithgenerativeAI,74%saythattheincreasingpopularityofgenAImakesitharderforthemtotrustwhattheyseeonline.13AsAIchurnsoutmorecontent,consumersareincreasinglydrawntowhat

feelsreal—theraw,theunpolished,andtheopinionated.

SearchingforMoreTrustedSources

ForGenZ,thismeansturningmoretosocialmedia:A2025studyfoundthat53%ofGenZconsumers(born1997-2012)nowturn

toTikTok,YouTube,orRedditbefore

traditionalsearchengineslikeGooglewhenlookingforinformation.14ForGenZ,platformslikeTikTokisnotsocialmedia;itisavisual

searchengine.

However,Millennialsareadoptingamore

"Triangulation"behavior:Accordingto2025

researchfromYext,Millennialsare

increasingly"platformagnostic,"andtheyarecross-referencingGoogleresultswithReddit

threadsandTikTokreviewstoverifyaccuracy,essentiallyusingsocialprooftoauditsearch

engineresults.

41%

Ofsocialmediausers

willspendmoretimeoncreator-drivenplatformslikeSubstackand

Patreon

51%

Willspendmoretimeoncommunity-driveplatformslike

Reddit15

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AReturntoHumanValues

WiththeoverwhelmofAIcontentforcingbrandstostruggleforvisibility,andthe

reprioritizationofhowyoungergenerationssurfaceinformationonline,afewcritical

survivalstrategiesareemerging.

Human-firstMarketing

Alargepartofthiscountermovementis

drivenbyconsumersrallyingagainstthe

degradationoftheinternetexperiencebyAI.Brandsthatlistentothisdemandandprioritizebuildingtrustthroughauthentic,human-

verifiedexperiencesacrossdiversified

platformsarebestpositionedtothriveinthis

newdigitalera.Thishasgivenrisetoa

"human-first"marketingapproach,whereflawsarenotseenaserrorsbutassignalsofgenuinehumaneffortandintent,creatingastark

contrasttothesterileoutputsofAI.

ExamplesofHuman-CentricStrategies:

□Human-GatedCommunities:Apotential

trendin2026involvesbrandsgatingtheircontentorchargingapremiumforaccesstohuman-verified,high-trustinformation,asadirectresponsetothefloodoffree,

low-qualityAIcontent.Forexample,Cara—theportfolioplatformforartiststhat

bannedAIcontent,grewfrom40,000to

650,000usersinasingleweek16,provingthatthereisamassive,pent-upmarketdemandonthecreativeside.

□"NotAI”asaDifferentiator:Therearealsosignsofearlyadoptionoftrustsignalslikethe“NotByAI”badge,whichcreatorsusetocertifythatatleast90%oftheircontentishuman-produced.These“AI-free”or

“human-verified”badgesand

demarcationarenowaproxyforquality.

□AnalogueasaPremium:Asamirrorofthe“NotAI”strategy,thisnewemphasison

"humanskills"andthehumantouchis

becomingapremiuminmarketing

strategies,suggestingafuturewhere

businessesmightmarkettheirentirely

humancreativeteamsasasignofqualityandtrust.

□InfluencerAuthenticity:Brandsare

partneringwithmicro-influencerswhoareperceivedasmore"relatable"andless

performativethantraditionalcelebrities.

Theseinfluencersbuildtrustbydisclosing

sponsorshipsclearlyandengagingvia

commentsandQ&As,fosteringasenseofgenuineconnection.

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AReturntoHumanValues

PrioritizingtheCultivationofCommunity&Participation

Inthisenvironmentwheretrustiskey,

communitybecomesamoat.ThepreferenceforplatformslikeRedditandDiscordhighlightsadesireforniche,community-drivenspaces

thatofferunfiltered,specific,andreliable

information.Brandsareshiftingresourcestobuildownedcommunities(e.g.,dedicatedDiscordserversorexclusivenewsletters)tofosterdirect,human-to-humanrelationshipswiththeiraudience,creatingasafeharborfromtheunpredictable,bot-filledpublic

internet.

□Reddit'sTrustFactor:Reddititselfactsasabulwarkagainst"slop".Usersoftenadd

"Reddit"totheendofGooglesearchestobypasspromotionalcontentandgo

straighttoauthenticdiscussions.AdsonRedditareoftentrustedmorethanthoseonotherplatforms;46%ofusersaremorelikelytotrustbrandsthatadvertiseon

Reddit.17

□TrustingPeersOverAlgorithms:OnlyhalfofGenZcheckGooglefirstforproduct

reviews,comparedto60%ofall

respondents.18Instead,GenZusersvalueuser-generatedcontent(UGC)andpeerrecommendations,withdatasuggesting74%ofGenZfollowatleastonemicro-

influencer(creatorswithfewerthan100Kfollowers).Theyarelesslikelytotrust

polished,brand-producedstudio

footage,preferringauthentic,lo-fivideos.

□BeyondSocialMedia:Smartbrandsaremovingbeyondsocialplatformsand

searchenginestobuildowned

communities(e.g.,emailnewsletters,

privategroupsonplatformslikeSkool,ordedicatedcompanyapps)tofoster

direct,authenticrelationshipswiththeiraudience,therebysafeguardingtheirreachagainstunpredictableplatformchanges.

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HumanValuesInTheAgeofAI2

Howbrandscangetinvolved

ShiftTowardsRadicalInclusion

SinceitishighlyimpossibletoavoidtheenvironmentswithAIslop,mediashouldbethefilterthathelpscurateandpre-vetplatforms,domains,andevencreatorsthatarealignedtothehuman-firstapproach.

PrioritizetheExperienceandLivedReality

MediaandcontentcanbeadifferentiatortotheAIslopbecauseAIcaneasilyreplicateexpertise,butitcan'tfakeexperience,whichisthelivedreality.

DiversifyPlatforms,Traffic,andEngagement

RelyingsolelyonGooglefororganictrafficisnolongeraviablestrategy.Brandsmustcultivaterobustpresencesondiverseplatforms,includingYouTube,

socialmedia,andthroughdirectemailmarketingandcommunitybuildingefforts.

IdentifytheNewMetrics

Aspeoplestarttoengagedifferentlyonline,thereisanopportunitytore-

evaluatethemediametricsbasedonindicatorsofhumaninteraction—like

pauses,rewatchrates,savesandsharesonsocialmedia,andhowAIinfluencesandimpac