The Influence of Authenticity in the Algorithmic Era
Why Media is the Truth Test
We’re living through a crisis of realness. AI can write your voice, auto-tune your face, and deepfake your entire personality. Social feeds are full of filtered perfection and manufactured influence. And yet - we crave the opposite.
In this hyper-programmed world, authenticity has become the ultimate flex. Not because it’s polished, but because it’s personal. Not because it’s broad, but because it’s brave. We don’t trust perfection anymore. We trust what feels true.
Here’s the paradox of our time: As artificial intelligence gets smarter, emotional intelligence becomes rarer and more valuable.
Where Realness Resonates
Four cultural case studies show that in a world chasing virality, it’s realness that actually resonates.
Ilona Maher: Red Lip, Real Talk
A rugby star in iconic red lipstick, Ilona Maher showed up at the Olympics not as a brand - but as a human. Strong and playful. Unfiltered and unapologetic.
Her TikTok following grew 1200% during the Games with behind-the-scenes content that felt like texting a friend, not watching a feed. She didn’t fit the mold of a “marketable” female athlete - and that’s exactly why she broke through. Her engagement tripled compared to polished peers because complexity is magnetic, and authenticity converts.
The Messi Effect
Lionel Messi doesn’t sell. He doesn’t posture. He doesn’t chase headlines.
He built the most trusted brand in global sport by simply being… Messi. His humility, consistency, and community-first actions have created 45% more brand value than flashier players with bigger personas. Messi proves that trust isn’t built in a campaign, it’s built-in behavior.
Morgan Wallen: Unfiltered, Uncanceled, Unbothered
He’s not controversy-free. He’s not trying to be, and that’s the point.
From throwing a chair to walking off SNL and turning a viral caption into a sold-out merch line (“Take me to God’s Country”), Morgan Wallen has never tried to please everyone. And that’s why his fans show up in droves.
He embodies a truth brands often overlook: broad appeal is rarely emotional appeal. The strongest connections come from standing for something even if that means not being for everyone.
Rory McIlroy’s Redemption Arc
After 17 years and countless near-misses at Augusta, Rory won the tournament, and he won hearts.
What resonated wasn’t just the victory. It was the vulnerability. The perseverance. The real-time release of years of pressure and heartbreak.
In an era obsessed with overnight success, Rory’s win was a reminder that the long arc still matters - and that struggle, not polish, makes stories resonate.
But while authenticity creates momentum, inauthenticity creates backlash - fast.
The Penalty for Pretending
Authenticity isn’t a filter - it’s a foundation. When brands treat it like a trend, they get called out. Quickly.
- Blue Origin’s All-Woman Crew: Marketed as empowerment but read as a relic of 'Girlboss' feminism - overly polished and out of step with today’s more intersectional, economically anxious moment. In a time when people are craving real impact over PR stunts, the tone missed the cultural mood entirely.
- Kim Kardashian’s Crypto Ad: A $1.26M SEC fine and a 47% drop in follower trust proved that even the most-followed faces can’t fake integrity. In the middle of rising skepticism around crypto and influencer marketing, the promotion felt opportunistic.
- Bud Light x Dylan Mulvaney Backlash: Bud Light’s brief partnership with Dylan Mulvaney followed by a silent backpedal showed the danger of performative allyship alienating both sides by standing for nothing.
When brands fake it, audiences don’t scroll past they push back.
Leading with Authenticity in the Age of the Algorithm
Algorithms shape how people connect, discover, and decide. But optimization alone doesn’t build belief.
When brands chase efficiency over empathy, they lose what makes them matter. Because cultural influence isn’t captured by IDs and signals, it’s earned by understanding real people and what drives them.
Today’s consumers expect brands to meet them where they are - not just in what they do, but why they do it.
Motivations. Meaning. Belonging. That’s where real influence lives.
At Carat, we design for people.
Not for proxies. Not for averages. For the full, complex, human reality.
Because in an age where media moves at the speed of algorithms, authenticity - not automation - is what creates lasting impact.
Why Media is the Truth Test
We’ve seen it firsthand: when we go to market with emotional intelligence, media drives both reach and reverence.
Because today, media isn’t where ideas simply appear - it’s where they’re interrogated. Every impression is a trust test. Every placement is a chance to connect - or to be called out.
Authentic media earns belief. Performative media gets ignored.
That’s why we built Cultural EQ - to make sure we don’t just guess at what resonates - we know. It’s how we measure a brand’s real influence, not its noise, and design media that shapes and moves with culture instead of chasing it. In a world defined by attention scarcity, belief is everything.
The Path Forward: Be Less Perfect. Be More Human.
As AI reshapes how content is made, the brands that thrive will be the ones that feel most human. That means:
- Embracing imperfection
- Leading with values
- Building communities
- Creating space for vulnerability
- Showing up with consistency vs. choreography
Trust can’t be bought, it’s built. And in today’s culture, the most powerful thing a brand can say is: “This is who we are - take it or leave it.” In a world of deepfakes, the brands that will last are the ones that feel undeniably real - and meet every impression with earned trust.
