“Authentic to the power of Z” is one of seven megatrends that are changing consumers and technologies, described in Martech Trendbook 2024 –>
Can we trust that the student wrote this paper? Can we believe that a politician made this statement? We stopped trusting what we see
– says Peter Sokołowski, editor-in-chief of Merriam-Webster, in an interview for The Associated Press. This is an English dictionary that, at the end of each year, indicates a word that is exceptionally popular at that time. In 2023, it turned out to be the adjective “authentic”. Internet users particularly often searched for the phrases “authentic cuisine”, “authentic voice”, “authentic self” or simply “authentic” and “authenticity”. What does this prove? – This is a manifestation of the crisis of authenticity – explains Sokołowski. – We realize that when we question authenticity, we value it even more – he adds.
“Lost in Recognizing the Truth”
– Hyper-creative images generated by AI have outgrown the recipients – notes Dorota Pindel, Research&Development Director from WebTalk Agency. Over 1.5 billion users have tested the ability of artificial intelligence to create more or less funny photos that have nothing to do with reality. Many also learned how easy it is to transform someone’s face and voice to believably imitate other people. Experts drew attention to the danger associated with the spread of deepfake technology used for this purpose in Martech Trendbook 2023. “Deepfake in the wrong hands can be used to discredit famous people or even blackmail. There have been cases where someone replaced the face of porn actors with the face of famous people,” they warned against year.
Although technology giants promised to provide users with tools to recognize deepfakes, for now we instead have simpler tools for creating them. And we are increasingly lost in recognizing the truth.
Authenticity turns out to be particularly important for the youngest consumers, i.e. those born between 1995 and 2009. – Research shows that Zetki do not buy polished images, they value honesty and miss direct contacts. They put creating a community above individualism, and authenticity is an important element of building relationships for them, says Urszula Graczykowska, Senior Marketing Manager at Fujitsu Technology Solution.
Facebook fails the test of authenticity, as Generation Z understands it. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of its users aged 13-17 decreased by half. Today they constitute only slightly over 3%. global audience. – Generation Z is no longer fooled by beautiful words and perfect photos, the best example of which is the success of the BeReal application – notes business and marketing strategy consultant Olga Sobieraj.
Brands want to be authentic
How did BeReal win the hearts of young people? At a random moment of the day, the portal sends the user a request to take and publish a photo. He only has two minutes to do it, so he can’t really prepare. When the number of app downloads exceeded 56 million, TikTok “felt forced” to copy its competitor’s solution.
– As a “declining GenX”, I am full of admiration for the new, fresh perception of the world by Generation Z. Naturalness, honesty, personal values, even separation from tradition are a kind of promise of a better future – says Łukasz Jach-Bartha, Creative Technologist, with optimism. from the VMLY&R advertising agency.
How do brands try to be authentic and how do they use technology to do so? “It’s a nice car – but that blue color is very gay!” – this comment found on the Internet encouraged Ford to create a campaign with a rainbow version of the Raptor. The brand also started supporting organizations fighting homophobia.
A video with an overview of this project and others from around the world can be found in Martech Trendbook 2024 –>
Gazeta.pl is the media patron of Martech Trendbook 2024.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
