Social media remains a strategic tool for water communicators in 2026. Last year, for the first time, it surpassed TV as the number one source for news. And according to a Sprout Social survey, 90% of consumers use social media to keep up with trends and cultural moments.
At the same time, as a new year kicks off, many are reevaluating their social media habits. Going analog, dumbphone use, anti-doomscrolling, bricking devices –– these are all hot topics in 2026’s digital discourse so far. And they point to a desire for a more intentional and balanced relationship with social media this year.
So with that context in mind, where is social media headed in 2026? What kind of content do people actually want to see on their feeds? We reviewed a ton of hot takes, predictions, and recommendations from social media thought leaders to get a vibe check for the upcoming year.
Here are 5 takeaways from our reading and experience:
Brain rot backlash
Audiences are feeling real fatigue with what they’re seeing on their social media feeds.
Slop (low-quality content, AI-produced or otherwise) is crowding our feeds and leaving us feeling fried. Rage bait and shocking content exploits our emotions for clicks and profit. The sheer volume of fast-paced posts competing for our limited attention is overwhelming.
In this social media landscape, algorithm hacking doesn’t always actually add value to our lives. And people are wising up to this; to borrow a phrase from social media consultant Rachel Karten, audiences are increasingly “skeptical of the scroll.”
Overcoming this social media fatigue will require different approaches than in the past. In other words, brain rot is out.
Proof of humanity, served two ways
Thought leaders are pointing towards content that feels more human as the way forward in 2026. It’s content that promises to stand out, especially in an AI-filled social landscape.*
We noticed social strategists recommending two distinct approaches to creating content with a human touch.
The first is embracing a more raw, off-the-cuff approach to content. We’re talking behind-the-scenes pictures. We’re talking “FaceTime-style” content. Live-streams. Unfiltered, imperfect content that feels personal, real and relatable.
The second is a more craft-driven, polished approach. “Premium content,” like high-quality, longer-form original video series. Content that is beautiful and meaningful, to paraphrase social video producer Arjun Ram Srivatsa. Cinematic content that doesn’t necessarily require a big budget, but does require original ideas executed in an intentional and creative way.
While these might seem like contradictory approaches at first, they both offer proof that an actual person was involved in the content’s making.
Here at Water Hub, we’ve centered humanity in our content and have seen success with both approaches.
We share photos and videos of ourselves just being people, at conferences and staff retreats.
We’ve led partnerships with creators because we know audiences like to hear information from real people they can relate to. (As my colleague Jessica put it “creators can carry power to humanize current events” and we know they will continue to be important in 2026.)
We’ve also produced short documentaries, like our recent one on water affordability in Laredo, Texas. Even though it bucked a lot of the conventional wisdom about what performs on the algorithm, we saw deep engagement both in terms of watch time metrics and appreciation from the community featured.
It was validating to see this trend rise to the top, and we’re excited to continue producing and experimenting with content in the year ahead.
Embrace your inner Mr. Rogers
The prediction that Mr. Rogers-type content will perform this year comes from Rachel Karten’s 2026 social media ins and outs list. We think it makes sense given this exhausting social and news landscape.
She expands on the concept of Mr. Rogers marketing in her newsletter, defining it this way:
When a brand creates content with Mister Rogers marketing in mind, they are putting their posts through a lens of kindness. Optimizing for hope. The most simple way to describe it is by imagining how the viewer feels after seeing a post. Do they feel joy, empathy, beauty, optimism, hope? Or do they feel confusion, anger, jealousy, outrage? Mister Rogers marketing strives to be the former. Importantly, Mister Rogers marketing always respects the audience’s attention. Posts that intentionally confuse followers, like jump-scare intros or fake apology trends, have no place.
Slower, quieter, gentler, feel-good content can be a relief, especially when scrolling through a noisy feed designed to shock and enrage (see “brain rot backlash” above).
Not only do our nervous systems deserve this kind of content in 2026, it also has potential to perform very very well. Karten points to the example of Charlie Engleman, who produces Mr. Rogers-style videos, some of which have yielded millions of views on Instagram.
We’re advocates for kind and hopeful content. We regularly share good water news, with soothing audio of flowing streams in the background. We’ve also shared quiet, behind-the-scenes moments from our Laredo documentary as a break for people’s feeds. And we hope to continue telling more hopeful, calming stories in 2026.
Shifting social media KPI goal posts
Social strategists are also predicting a change in success metrics. Virality isn’t the end-all, be-all goal it once was, especially as social media becomes more saturated with content.
The quantity of followers you have and views you get still matter. But more important than reaching as many people as possible is building a long-term, meaningful relationship with the people who care.
Lucky for us, that’s very in keeping with the water movement’s ethos!
Lean into what still works
No one is suggesting folks rip up the entire playbook when it comes to social media in 2026.
Audiences still like to see people’s faces on their feed. Behind-the-scenes and process-oriented content still performs extremely well. People still like to see other people being weird, doing things differently, and having fun. Resharing and repurposing content (so that audiences actually see it) is still a good idea.
These tactics work. We’ve seen them work for us here at Water Hub. And there’s no reason they won’t work in 2026. In fact, many reflect the more relatable and human vibe we suspect audiences are craving.
*A desire for more authenticity and connection on social media is just one way people are reacting to Big Tech’s hyperscaling. The environmental and human tradeoffs are also likely to be on people’s minds this year. My colleague Sarah wrote more about how this could be a prominent media storyline in 2026 – read more here.
What’s next?
Sign up for our Water Cooler newsletter to hear about our trainings and resources and follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, and YouTube.