The word authenticity is in every deck, backing up every strapline, and giving it large in every brand tone-of-voice document. Despite this clamour for ‘real’, we’re actually living in a world where everyone is always performing.
Performing happiness online, performing productivity at work, performing relatability in group chats. Even rest has become aesthetic and rebellion has become content.
The human truth: most people don’t know who they are when no one’s watching. People are exhausted from performing a version of themselves for everyone and have no idea who they are underneath it.
And this cultural burnout presents a massive opportunity for brands who are bold enough to name it and build trust by stepping off the stage with their audience. They’ve spent years building personal brands, broadcasting curated lives, tweaking themselves for employers, peers, strangers. The result isn’t a sense of identity - it’s identity fatigue.
Recent global studies show 73% of Gen Z say they feel digitally exhausted. 45% of Gen Z say there’s “too much pressure to be perfect” on social media. Over half of young adults say they’ve deleted content that didn’t get enough likes.
And it’s not just Gen Z. Millennials, Gen X and Boomers all show signs of burnout from constantly managing how they show up, whether it’s in-person, online, in the office, or in the dreaded family WhatsApp group.
First, we’re seeing selfhood burnout. This isn’t about workload, it’s about identity. People are so used to showing up in the way they think they’re supposed to, they’ve forgotten how to just show up as themselves.
There’s almost no “backstage” anymore, no place to remove the mask. High self-monitoring, constant self-curation, endless context-switching - it’s exhausting. Psychologists call this impression management burnout.
Second, digital disconnection is growing. From finstas to BeReal, social sabbaticals to full-on digital disappearing acts, people are opting out. 39% of Millennials and Gen Z say they’re actively cutting back on social media for their mental health. The trend of “Grid Zero” (no visible Instagram posts) is rising and BeReal saw over 20 million daily users at its peak, driven by a desire for uncurated connection.
Third, authenticity has become a coping mechanism. #NoFilter is a rebellion. Influencers who show messy homes and honest breakdowns are outperforming those who look perfect. 88% of global consumers say authenticity is a key factor in deciding what brands to support whilst 45% of Gen Z prefer influencers who “don’t try to be perfect”
This shift isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about identity relief. And whilst across generations it looks different, it feels the same.
Gen Z are rejecting digital permanence. Multiple profiles, alt accounts, private stories, and more time spent on anonymous platforms. Millennials are ditching the hustle brand. Less posting, more therapy. Quiet quitting isn’t laziness, it’s identity preservation. Gen X were performing professionalism before it was digital. Now they’re the ones most likely to not trust social media at all. Boomers know all about masking, decades of “put on a brave face” culture. But now, they’re some of the most likely to leave the stage entirely.
The performance spiral is generationally shaped, but universally felt.
Every marketing playbook says emotional connection matters. But most brands are still performing. They’re still polishing, projecting, performing wellness, and performing experience.
The ones that stop, that build for the quiet, off-stage version of their audience, will be the ones people trust. Here’s three well-known categories and brands within them who have the scale to shift culture, and the credibility to lead by example. Each of them currently participates in the performance spiral. Here’s how they could reverse it, and what owning this human truth actually looks like.
The Gym Group is budget-friendly, no-frills, and already inclusive. But the comms still push goal-chasing, physique-building, mirror-flexing. They have an opportunity to own the ‘unperformed workout’, becoming the national chain where moving your body doesn’t have to be public content.
Come As You Are campaign: exhausted, unmotivated, hungover? Still counts. “Anti-Hustle Hours” with no mirrors, no music, no pressure. Launch real stories: “I came in, walked for 8 minutes, went home.” This is a strategic shift from “get results” to “get real.”
Gymshark have a performance aesthetic and are hyper-aspirational, still visually tethered to body optimisation and personal brand culture. Their opportunity is to create a new fitnesswear category of mental fitnesswear.
“Not Here to Impress”, a drop designed for emotional wear, not physical perfection. “Off-Days Edit”, oversized, soft, comfortable pieces designed for mood not metrics. And a UGC campaign showing non-performative workouts: rage walks, 7-minute flops, mid-session tears. This is a strategic shift from “hustlewear” to “humanwear”.
Jet2holidays are accessible, straightforward, and unpretentious. Perfectly positioned to own the anti-performance holiday. Their opportunity is to let people unplug, without guilt.
“Don’t Post It. Live It.”, a campaign focused on presence over presentation. Partner with digital wellbeing orgs to offer screen-free trip options. Offer “Zero Upload” packages: no roaming, no reels, no pressure. This is a strategic shift from “booked and busy” to “booked and blissfully unreachable.”
Let’s be clear - this isn’t anti-ambition, it’s simply pro-human. It’s not about doing less, it’s about dropping the performance. It’s saying “you don’t have to impress us, you don’t have to post this, you don’t even have to be anyone today.” Let them breathe, let them flop, let them feel like themselves again.