The hype cycles are too fast, attention is getting scarcer, and the platforms we’ve built on are starting to feel less reliable. From how we discover content to how we actually engage with it, the rules are quietly changing. Here are ten 2026 trends and behaviours I think will define the year.

Offline time and the rise of ‘dark social’

People will increasingly start treating attention like a luxury. Private chats, locked Instagram Stories, and invite-only spaces will begin to beat public posting. The real conversations and the real influence happen where brands cannot see or measure. As a private person I fully support it, and as someone in marketing I’m already tearing my hair out.

Physical media becomes a quiet status symbol

We are one major outage away from losing our carefully curated digital lives. Owning vinyl, CDs, DVDs, or choosing books over e-readers becomes the new flex. Not nostalgia, just security and taste.

Video platforms become the new search battleground

People want answers with a face, a voice, and a visual demonstration of the thing. Discovery happens on TikTok, YouTube, and whatever launches next, not the classic search bar.

Super-polished content falls out of favour

It’s been happening for a while, and 2026 is likely bringing a whole lot of AI generated slop with it. Audiences are tired of over-edited, over-lit, agency-perfect content. They will gravitate toward creators and brands that feel human, immediate, and real. Messy edges win trust. People buy from people. The TikTokification of video content is complete.

AI takes over customer service and someone big slips up

AI chatbots quietly become the default frontline. They are faster and cheaper until they are not. I’m expecting at least one major brand to make headlines when their AI gives terrible advice, discriminates, or seriously mishandles a crisis.

Voice search becomes the lazy default

Hands-free habits grow even more. Who has time to type a query in this economy?? “Hey Google, tell me” will expand. I’m already wondering if there’s a way to differentiate voice search traffic in our clients GA4s.

Google pushes AI mode front and centre

AI-generated answers appear at the top of results and shape discovery, comparison, and decision-making. Traditional rankings still matter but they are no longer the first thing users see… or trust.

Email continues making a comeback

Algorithms fail, feeds get noisier, attention fragments. Email continues its place as the channel brands can actually control. Fast, direct, and personal, it still gets the brand back to front of mind even if it’s an immediate delete. I’ve been banging this drum for a while and I will continue to do so!

Creators build their own products and content ecosystems

More creators will take ownership. Email newsletters, Medium posts, and exclusive spaces to allow them to move away from rented platforms and build something they actually own. A little like some creators complaining about how hard it is to be relatable, some will also learn the hard way that they’ve just built numbers and not communities.

Audiences tire of AI slop and cookie-cutter websites

People notice when every site looks identical, shiny, and soulless. In 2026, authenticity wins. Hand-crafted, human-led design and content will stand out more than any AI template.

None of this is about predicting a single silver bullet. Whether you are a brand, a creator, or just someone paying attention, I think these ten trends are the ones to watch out for if you want to stay ahead of the curve in 2026.