Ask Efri

Why does “authentic” content eventually become another performance?

Efri · 1 min read

Once authenticity is rewarded, people learn how to perform the signals of authenticity.

Key points
4 key points
  1. 01
    A rough photo, a confession, a “no one talks about this” opening or a vulnerable story can begin as a genuine expression
  2. 02
    The result is performed authenticity: content carefully constructed to look unconstructed
  3. 03
    That does not mean every vulnerable post is fake
  4. 04
    A more useful definition is alignment

A rough photo, a confession, a “no one talks about this” opening or a vulnerable story can begin as a genuine expression. When audiences reward the format, creators naturally repeat it. Then other people copy the pattern.

The result is performed authenticity: content carefully constructed to look unconstructed.

That does not mean every vulnerable post is fake. It means authenticity cannot be judged from style alone.

A more useful definition is alignment. Does the person’s public content seem consistent with how they think, work and behave over time? Do they share things because they are true and relevant, or because the format reliably generates attention?

Authenticity becomes less theatrical when you stop trying to “look authentic” and simply make fewer claims that require pretending to be someone else.