Is it possible to show up authentic on social media and why accepting that we are lost might be the solution in 2026?

“ Maybe the next era of the internet feels strangely old; smaller corners, stronger identities and less trend-chasing.”

As a creative I have always felt lost.

Lost in this life, lost in the relationships, lost in jobs, lost in my head.

The hardest part of being lost, it feels, is to try bring others along to the journey of understanding what it feels like being lost.

Most of us just don’t know it or want to acknowledge it, as it can be seen as a weakness.

Because the thing is, that not many of us look like we are lost- other than toddlers and elderly people, who deserve the right to look lost.

But I would argue that we all are lost.

And we should just accept this fact in 2026.

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Artists have felt it for centuries.

For them it has been the powerful source they derive their inspiration from. Bucketfuls of pain and unheard stories.

Written and painted for all of us to see. But it has only been categorised as art.

Being lost is an experience is not something that is same to everyone. Accepting the fact that we do not know everyhing or have the answers to everything can be very freeing.

Not being afraid of looking stupid is like escaping from prison, ( I would imagine ).

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Humans we have earned the right to be lost in 2026.

The experience of 2025 has been immense to our minds and bodies. Relationships and human connections have been slowly corroded by these times of madness and fury.

Over communication has in fact become under communication.

2026 in the social sphere we are shifting slowly from the consumer mindset into something meaningful and deeper.

People are craving real human connections and conversations.

Maybe they are leaving their phones at home.

Spending less time on social media.

Great brand strategists and content creators will know this, accept it and will be able to harness this in their storytelling.

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The focus shift will be in community building.

For brands this means that there will be less time spent online to capture audience and growth.

Smaller pockets of audiences. More niche specific content.

This is why deep storytelling will be a dominant content style- diving deep into a specific topic. Brands are focussing on developing personalities with credibility to build audiences and growing.

Implementing this to your content strategy for 2026 will open new doors.

Getting lost and exploring new ways of connecting.

Exploring life with your clients and customers- by taking them with you on your brand journey will give you an edge and perhaps will open new possibilities and avenues of adventure in this saturated performance market.

Asking instead of telling.

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So is it possible to show up authentic in social media?

Yes.

By deriving from the feeling of being lost, perhaps a true form of communication and vulnerability can rise.

That can be used to build meaningful connections between brands and consumers and overall us, as humans.

Perhaps this is what we have been missing.

Tea