2026: The Year of LLMs and LLAs (Low Level Anxieties)

What’s in, out, and changing in the online space in 2026

This is a view on a new style of social media emerging in 2026. A landscape reshaped by AI and a growing unease about what we’re actually looking at. It’s a behavioural shift I’m calling the “is it real?” effect.

Life online is becoming defined by two big Ls: LLMs and LLAs (Low Level Anxieties).

I’ve pulled together five key themes I’m anticipating will show up in behaviours across the social landscape, taking inspiration from conversations with my colleagues and what I’m seeing online.

Overall, I think this LLA will permeate daily life as we become more selective and vocal about who we trust, where we spend time, and who gets our attention. It feels like a natural reaction as synthetic content rises and signals become less reliable.

Because I don’t want to be fooled by slop and synthetic content. Do you?

In my life and career, I’ve never had to consider the human-ness of the content, ads, campaigns, and platforms I’ve created in such a deliberate way. That is changing. Being recognisably human is now the signal for success.

It’s going to be a year of increasing doubt as systems and regulation play catch up, and as audiences look for clearer cues about what to trust. Out with the glossy; in with the chipped, the beautiful, and the flawed human truth. That’s where trust now sits.

Laurel’s Five Themes

1. Substance Over Performance

People want to see the thinking, the process, the mess. Not just the final asset. Authority becomes something you demonstrate, not claim. This applies to big corporations and individual influencers alike.

Supporting signals:

• Plot-driven content as proof of expertise: Visible arcs, recurring formats, and “come with us while we figure this out” narratives. Plot shows the work over time, making expertise harder to fake and easier to recognise.
  Reference: Sprout Social
• The comeback of text: Treating people as readers, not just scrollers. Long-form, newsletters, and argument-driven content continue to rise as audiences look for depth.
  Reference: HubSpot Blog
• From popularity to personality: Follower counts still matter, but they no longer define influence. Tone, stance, and distinctive thinking cut through.
  Reference: FleishmanHillard

2. Realness Becomes the Trust Signal

With synthetic content rising, audiences are becoming more sensitive to what “real” looks like. Human texture becomes a form of verification.

Supporting signals:

• The rise of the unpolished: Lo-fi formats read as more honest and more human.
  Reference: BrandLens
• Peak jaded: AI slop fatigue: Low-effort generative content drives irritation and a return to sharper, more editorial thinking.
  Reference: My Substack @LaurelUssher
• The hum of the “is that real?” effect: A new spam-filter era where users and platforms need stronger signals to separate real from synthetic. For brands, that means receipts: process, context, backstage detail.

3. Influence Reshapes Around Individuals With a Point of View

The centre of influence continues shifting from institutions to individuals who report, comment, and create at the same time.

Supporting signals:

• The rise of the influencer-journalist: More reporting and analysis lives with individuals operating as both journalists and creators.
  Reference: Charles Sennott Substack, FleishmanHillard
• Diversified feeds: Product-only feeds feel outdated. Mixed portfolios signal confidence and give clearer context on what brands stand for.
  Reference: Sprout Social

4. People Migrate to Spaces Aligned With Their Values

Platform choice becomes a values-based decision. People will move faster away from spaces that feel misaligned with their sense of safety or reality.

Supporting signal:

• Walking away from misaligned spaces: Ongoing fragmentation as people cluster in smaller, more intentional communities.
  Reference: Reuters Institute

5. Regulation Steps In Where Platforms Haven’t

Governments begin setting boundaries around safety, age access, and content transparency.

Supporting signals:

• Australia’s under-16 social ban: Sparking global debate, with similar moves signalled in Denmark and the European Parliament.
  References: The Guardian; AP News
• Pressure for AI-origin disclosure: Synthetic content labelling begins to mirror early #ad regulations.

What’s emerging is a clear challenge: being recognisably human. This may feel counter-cultural after years of polish and risk-avoidance, but audiences are tired. They are moving towards brands that feel safe, transparent, and trustworthy.

If you’re navigating this shift in your organisation or brand, let’s talk.
Laurel Ussher, Team Digital at FleishmanHillard UK.