AI & Social Media Trends 2026: Experts on Saturation & Strategy

A new analysis released today by Saper Vedere, a strategic intelligence agency, identifies five key trends reshaping digital marketing and social media in 2026. The report, published on the firm’s BrandNewsBlog, highlights a shift driven by the proliferation of artificial intelligence and evolving user behavior.

The first trend identified is the “degradation of the feed” and a surge in AI-generated content. Saper Vedere’s founder and Director General, Nicolas Vanderbiest, initiated the analysis, collaborating with B2B content creator and digital strategy trainer Jonathan Chan. The report suggests that the increasing volume of content, much of it produced with AI assistance, is diminishing the effectiveness of traditional social media feeds.

Further trends outlined in the initial installment of the blog post include a changing landscape of algorithms increasingly powered by artificial intelligence, the growing prominence of private online communities, and “content fatigue” among internet users leading to a renewed interest in longer-form content. The analysis also points to the increasing importance of comments sections as spaces for expression and influence on social networks.

According to the blog post, simply creating good content and optimizing for algorithms is no longer sufficient. A comprehensive digital strategy focused on meaning and purpose is now essential. Vanderbiest founded Saper Vedere in 2017 while conducting research at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) on organizational reputation crises on social media, and later became Director General in 2025, according to the firm’s website.

The full report is being released in two parts, with the second installment, detailing five additional trends, scheduled for release on Tuesday, February 17th.