UGC Content Creator in an AI-Driven World

A think-piece on the paradox of artificial authenticity in content creation

Put your phone down and ask yourself: What was the last viral video you saw shared massively on your social media? Politics and worldly affairs aside, what is currently being talked about by your close family, friends, partners, or even colleagues?

Chances are the viral post is what social media connoisseurs now call User Generated Content (UGC).

We’ve long known that the world is shifting to more bite-sized, quick content that hooks you from the first frame (thanks to TikTok), but did you know that marketers and brands worldwide are trying very hard to gain traction through authenticity?

This is probably why honest product reviews taken with camera phones still bring in engagement, despite being shot amateurly.

That’s because we crave relatability more than ever before — and this can only work with genuine content that looks like it could be made by your close friend or friendly next-door neighbor.

But it’s very ironic, isn’t it?

I’ve found myself in a cognitive dissonance lately, especially at work when we’re planning out content strategy in different directions.

On one side, there’s the need to ensure our content looks organic.

We ideate & strategize User Generated Content because we’ve seen how it brought in the views. If you do a quick brainstorm, you’ll notice that people now stop and pause to admire a wide range of videos showcasing simple, everyday things — whether it’s a skincare product review or a glimpse of how a product optimizes one’s mundane work life.

This explains why influencer marketing is on the rise — actual humans, known and beloved by many, are the key figures that make this strategy work. You paused on your For-You page to check out something your favorite internet celebrity just posted, and are eager to purchase something that they have approved.

But on the other hand, there’s also the rush and urgency to automate everything with AI.

You’ve heard it all before — let’s make work easier by automating everything with AI. So from another viewpoint, why invest costs in uncertain things when you can generate it via prompting?

Recently, excited users went on a rampage, duplicating their favorite pop stars with AI — imagined scenarios that brought these generated Hollywood icons to life. From songs to visual art, everything seems possible with AI, including making something artificial look authentic.

I wonder if there’s a limit to this. Perhaps this would be one of the things we’ll suspend our disbelief to enjoy — we’ll learn to pretend it’s real long enough that actual humans don’t need to be center stage on our social media accounts anymore.

Would we develop genuine attachment to figures we know aren’t real? When Meta replicates our favorite celebrities with AI, will we get to ignore the artificial part of the technology and pretend it’s real?

No matter how much you push me to sit down and suffer through watching a dating show, I know I can’t do it.

It’s easier for me to believe in a wizarding school somewhere in England than a bunch of people genuinely wanting to fall in love through a competition for one person.

This is where my skepticism lies. But dating reality shows are a hit. We know they could be scripted — for all we know, each participant has a million other agendas that require their screen time there.

This isn’t a concern for reality show fans. It’s exciting, thrilling, and the ‘reality’ aspect of the show only needs to look the part. So as long as The Bachelor carefully scripts its shows to be believable, people will tune in.

Whether it’s real or not, it’s no longer a concern.

I figure something similar would be the case for AI. We’ll innovate a way to make authenticity artificial.

You’ve probably already considered using AI avatars to replace the influencer in your latest social media deliverable — what you need is to make sure they’re carefully crafted so that users can easily suspend their disbelief.

In other words, social media content creators now need to be just like The Bachelor’s showrunners.

If you pride yourself on delivering quality social media videos that are authentic in both production and execution, hope is not lost for you.

The pool of knowledge in creating effective social media videos is expanding. More and more people have discovered tried and true methods of engaging with your online audience, from the ideation stage to its output.

And if one project doesn’t work, its outcome alone can be a new discovery.

The best part? The manpower you need are everywhere — you can even find professional freelancers here, and starting your authentic UGC is as easy as feeding AI generators with prompts — only with better results. Start transforming your social media content now.