The glossy perfection of millennial content gave way to something that felt more \u2018real\u2019. But that was a mirage \u2013 and brands quickly caught on<\/p>\n
Eugene Healey is a brand strategy consultant, educator and creator<\/p>\n
Authenticity is the great mirage of the modern age. Its promise \u2013 to live unmediated, in full accordance with our values and beliefs \u2013 feels like the ideal we\u2019re always reaching for before it vanishes beyond the horizon. And ironically, the more we try to prove we\u2019re authentic online, the more we seem to accelerate its disappearance.<\/p>\n
As Generations Z and Alpha joined social media, they responded to the cultural demand for perfection with chaos \u2013 raw, unfiltered, deliberately messy content. The curated feed of flatlays gave way to the sloppy photo dump; the finstas; the bedrotting. Finally, our real lives represented on screen. Finally, something real.<\/p>\n
Eugene Healey is a brand strategy consultant, educator and creator<\/p>\n