Neal Malone, Director of Social Media, Influencer Marketing, and PR
AI Resistance, Creator Rates, and Performance Marketing
Asking a social media or influencer marketing executive for 2026 industry predictions is like asking a meteorologist what the weather is going to be like next month. They’ll give you their best guess, but when it comes down to it, we could get a massive snowstorm or a series of unseasonably warm days.
Like any good meteorologist, though, we never shy away from a prediction—even if the industry landscape is moving at the speed of a Nor’easter. Here are four social media and influencer marketing thoughts we have going into the new year:
1. Social media will be a very unwelcoming place for AI
As AI continues to flourish across industries, it’s going to be met with significant resistance on social media. It’s so easy to get swept up in all the ways AI is transforming our world—and in many cases that’s true. But in case you haven’t noticed, social media is quickly becoming a place where anything that even might be AI-generated is deemed “slop” and gets rejected immediately.
Here’s the thing—you can adopt AI in many facets of life while still rejecting it in others. It’s a great collaborator and productivity generator, but it’s just not what people (especially Gen Z) want to see in their feed. So in 2026, get ready for social media to be a safe haven for everyone looking for good ol’ fashioned authenticity and humanity.
2. Creator content will become paid social fuel
Remember when you could reach large audiences with organic content? Ahhh, those were the days. Fast-forward to today and the platform algorithms have made organic reach almost impossible to predict. Concerning? Maybe. But a more optimistic take is that it’s simply changing how brands should be viewing creator partnerships.
Partnering with creators used to be about renting access to their followers, but now that you’re only reaching a fraction of their audience organically, brands should instead be viewing creator partnerships as content generators for their paid social campaigns. There’s still a ton of value in brand messaging coming from a trusted third-party voice as opposed to a logo. It’s just that your content now requires a little boost.
The changing landscape means that the connection between creator content and performance marketing is as strong as ever. Brands should be treating authentic, creator-generated content not just as one-off organic posts, but as perpetual assets that can be tested, optimized, and scaled across paid social platforms. You’re going to see more and more brands moving beyond traditional ad formats and instead powering their entire paid social strategy with content that carries the undeniable trust and authentic voice of a creator.
3. The bubble might finally burst for creator rates
Anyone who works in influencer marketing knows firsthand how much time and effort goes into each brand partnership—both on the creator and agency/brand side. It takes immense talent and creativity to do what creators do, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.
But with organic reach way down and paid amplification almost essential to get the eyeballs you’re looking for, the climbing rates are becoming much harder to justify. For a while now, the inflationary environment around rates has seemed unsustainable, and in 2026, we may see brands finally say “enough is enough, we’ll go find someone else.”
4. The line between social content and TV will only get blurrier
When you sit down to watch your favorite TV show these days, it’s only a matter of time until you see creator-generated content in some form or fashion. Maybe it’s a brand spot powered by creator content or a social video running as a standalone ad. Either way, you’re seeing the social sphere blend into the traditional media world.
The feeling is mutual, too. Creators are searching for new ways to entertain their audiences, and that means turning their social channels into….well, TV. Episodic content, short films, live events, and reality programming are all extremely popular among creators. Call it blurred lines, call it mutual admiration—you just see a lot of one when you’re watching the other. This trend will only become more obvious in 2026.
