How Important Is Authenticity?

Over the past decade (or more), marketers have thrown around the word authenticity like children throw tantrums when they don't get their way—aka, constantly.

But how important is authenticity?

If I were to look at TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, the answer would seem to be: "It’s not." But here’s the thing: many of the most popular videos appear authentic when they’re highly staged.

Today, I watched as a "teacher" walked through a classroom, caught a water bottle out of mid-air, flipped the bottle, which landed perfectly on a table—all without breaking her stride or speech. It looked incredible. But the cynic in me had a few questions:

• Was this even a real teacher?
• Why was this being filmed in the first place?
• Why didn’t the teacher react when someone threw a water bottle at her (aka, get mad)?

By the time I reached the third question, my trust in this being an authentic event had eroded entirely. But I watched the video (more than once), so...mission accomplished.

This brings us back to the question: How important is authenticity?

If you’re chasing views, likes, and surface-level engagement, authenticity doesn't matter—it may even hurt more than help. But if you're trying to build trust and confidence, you might want to stick to what’s real—or at least mention how many attempts it took to catch and flip that water bottle.