Is Curated Content Dead? Why Authentic Social Media is King in 2025
By Lauralyn Brown | July 30, 2025
A long time ago in a digital age far, far away… staged, heavily filtered, and “aesthetic” Instagram feeds were the standard. The picture-perfect meal, the “I’m not looking into the camera” selfie with a motivational quote, edited scenery from your recent trip — these perfectly curated feeds dominated social media. I know because I am guilty of all of these.
But since then, people on social media have started to ask themselves, is what I’m seeing real?
For years, the digital world has told us perfection is the goal. But in 2025, social media is shifting in a new direction.
We're collectively tired of the unattainable highlight reel and craving something real, unfiltered, and genuinely relatable. So, is highly curated content truly dead? And how can your brand thrive in this new era of authenticity?
Why authenticity matters more than perfection
The way we consume content on social media is rapidly changing every year. What was once considered a personal online diary has evolved into a platform where everyone, regardless of their follower count, can create scroll-stopping content that captures our attention and encourages us to follow along or become a customer.
How is this accomplished?
Real, relatable storytelling.
Small local businesses, content creators, and even large corporations are pulling back the curtain and sharing the human side of their brand, connecting with their audience on a deeper, more personal level. The beauty of this is that everyone on social media is embracing authenticity in their own unique way.
This can look like sharing raw BTS footage of what it’s like to work at a company, participating in fun trends, blooper reels, or people simply being willing to show their followers the “messy” side.
That’s where the magic happens. And high engagement rates and a deeply involved community naturally follow.
Nowadays, authenticity is the name of the game. When creating content for Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, sometimes less is more. The more you connect with your audience and the less you worry about perfection, the better.
So, why does embracing your true self online unlock this kind of success? It comes down to these 3 key factors:
1. Authenticity builds genuine connection
With the fast rise of social media, people seek real connections now more than ever. We are constantly being bombarded with products and things that we are told we can’t live without on Instagram and TikTok (FOMO, anyone?). Scrolling past raw, unfiltered content (e.g., real-life traveling experiences, plans gone wrong, messy homes, etc.) brings a level of humanity back to social media, reminding us that we are all human and that the highlight reels that we are used to seeing are just that… the highlights.
2. Transparency fosters trust and relatability
Just like we crave connection, we also crave the truth (with a capital T) in the content we are seeing. How many of us have bought or subscribed to something we saw online, only for it to turn out to be a cheap knockoff or falsely advertised? Brands that value authenticity and offer transparency online naturally build more trust with their audience.
3. Raw content is sustainable and scalable
We’re going to let our fellow social media managers and content creators in on a little secret: Incorporating more authenticity in social media means fewer hours spent on a perfectly curated feed and less creative burnout in the long run. Editing and producing raw content is much more sustainable and allows for more creative freedom!
What does authentic social media mean for your brand?
Does this mean your brand page can’t be aesthetic or curated? Not at all! Building a content strategy and a fresh look for your brand’s social media presence is important.
But the questions you should be asking when creating content are: Does it serve a purpose? Is there room to add authenticity and connect with my audience in a personal way?
The answer should always be yes.
So, what makes your brand stand out from the rest? This is where your beautiful creativity comes in. Prioritize your brand’s personality. How do you want to forge human connections so they don’t just scroll past your brand logo, but actually engage with your content?
The opportunities are endless.
LAURALYN BROWN
Lauralyn is a Content Creator and Coordinator at AMR Digital. She has a background in English and Writing and loves to geek out about SEO and Reel ideas. Outside of the office, Lauralyn is a military spouse, an obsessive dog mom, and most likely planning 3 trip itineraries at once.