SOCIAL
Why Marketers Must Beware ‘inauthentic Authenticity’

We’ve all heard the call for ‘authenticity’ in content marketing, but do we really understand what authenticity means – and how to authentically use it? Cavendish Consulting’s Charli Edwards investigates.
An unfortunate consequence of the push for authenticity on social media is the rise of ‘inauthentic authenticity’: people pretending (or believing) that they are being genuine when their stance or opinion actually has little truth behind it.
This isn’t just about putting on false airs; it’s a serious issue with far-reaching implications regarding consumer trust and behavior. Marketers look to develop meaningful messages about their product based on what they see on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. And business leaders use social to build an honest picture upon which to make corporate decisions.
Inauthentic authenticity is no longer something businesses can ignore if they want success.
What is inauthentic authenticity?
Inauthentic authenticity is what happens when people try too hard to come across as authentic. It’s the act of faking or copying something considered genuine. It can lead us to believe that something is authentic when it isn’t.
Inauthentic authenticity can also dilute a true cultural or societal tradition. Recognizing when something is truly authentic (versus when it’s been manufactured for the sake of trendiness or profit) is crucial in maintaining genuine cultural practices and traditions.
Inauthentic authenticity in leadership
There’s a growing interest in the concept of authenticity among business leaders. It’s become the buzzword for many; today, it seems, everyone strives to be ‘authentic’.
The inauthentic authenticity theory is a new way of looking at this notion. It asserts that while leaders may believe they are being authentic, they are often, actually, following a predefined script that they believe will make them seem more genuine.
This theory points to the fact that some leaders are doubly inauthentic by trying to appear authentic.
Tackling inauthentic authenticity means challenging leaders to examine the motivations and intentions behind their actions to prevent coming off as insincere or fake. Authenticity is essential for any great leader, but getting there requires honest self-reflection and sincere motives.
Why do people practice inauthentic authenticity?
Under inauthentic authenticity, ironically enough, people deliberately try to appear more authentic than they actually are. Why do they bother?
One common motivation is the desire to fit in and be liked by others. We feel pressure to conform to the expectations of our social groups. Sometimes, this means presenting ourselves in a certain way that may not be entirely true to who we are.
There’s also the desire to maintain a certain image or reputation. This can be especially true in professional settings, where we may need to project a certain persona to succeed. Whatever the motivations may be, it’s important to recognize that inauthentic authenticity ultimately prevents us from truly (authentically!) connecting with others.
The consequences of inauthentic authenticity
We want to be true to ourselves and feel like we live authentically. But trying too hard to portray an image of authenticity that is not genuine can have serious consequences, both personally and in the broader context of society.
Trying to act a certain way to fit in with a certain group or demographic can create a superficiality that undermines the true value of authenticity. It can lead to feelings of loneliness and a lack of connection with others, and negative effects on mental health. From a societal perspective, inauthentic authenticity can lead to a lack of diversity, as people feel pressured to conform to certain standards. Cultivating a culture where genuine authenticity, rather than superficial or inauthentic behavior, is valued: that’s incredibly important.
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‘Be you, but only the good bits’
We’re consistently told to ‘be ourselves,’ but also to showcase only the good bits of our personality. These conflicting messages can make navigating inclusivity and fostering genuine relationships difficult. Inauthenticity in inclusivity can lead to a culture where people hide behind a facade, and genuine connections are lost.
While putting your best foot forward is necessary, being truthful about your struggles and vulnerabilities is also essential. Only when we embrace our authentic selves (the good, the bad, and the ugly) can we create meaningful relationships and contribute to a more inclusive society.
SOCIAL
Snap On How It Empowered Women’s With AR Storytellling

Snapchat has won the AR/VR category at The Drum Awards for Creativity. Here is the award-winning case study.
In France, like many western countries, public space lacks monuments honouring women. What about empowering Women’s Legacy through Augmented Reality? As a storytelling company, Snap knows that stories have the power to change hearts, minds, and behaviors. Stories create empathy, which can inspire behavior change across Snap and the broader industry. And although our industry is data-driven, we understand numbers are not a substitute for lived experience. The differing lived experience of underrepresented groups can reduce feelings of belonging, which in turn reduces opportunity to realize potential. Snap’s goal in inspiring empathy is to create a shared culture of belonging for all.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023, Snap’s AR Studio has been honouring 8 emblematic women in 8 major French cities (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Strasbourg, Metz and Nantes) through a unique augmented reality experience: “March 8, 8 women”. “March 8, 8 women” has been a unique opportunity to demonstrate Augmented Reality’s impact in supporting Great National Cause (French president Emmanuel Macron has declared Equity a priority for 2023), while showcasing Snap’s creative and technologic leadership in AR.
While as many women as men have marked the course of history, the vast majority of sculptures in the urban space in France (squares, gardens and streets) honour male characters. Snap’s AR Studio has thus imagined augmented reality statues of women who have left their mark on history in the fields of politics, arts and letters or resistance. These augmented reality statues are installed next to the physical statues of their male counterparts – hence creating a silent dialogue between two historical figures, a male & a female, a physical & a virtual, both having lived in the same era, walked similar fields, achieved close successes.
Each of these 8 virtual statues honours the achievements of the following 8 great women in history and helps to commemorate their contributions to French society:
Simone Veil: Champion of women’s rights, emblem of the 1975 law that legalized abortion, and the first female president of the European Parliament. Her augmented reality statue will be positioned next to the physical one of General Charles de Gaulle on the Champs-Elysées roundabout in Paris.
Simone de Beauvoir: An acclaimed writer and philosopher of the existentialist movement. As an anti-conformist, she advocated for the emancipation of women in her writings, such as her 1949 book The Second Sex, and became one of the pioneers of French feminism in the 20th century. Her augmented reality statue will be placed next to the physical one of 20th century poet and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, at Place Bellecour in Lyon.
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun: Admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1783 and the official painter to Marie Antoinette, she achieved critical and popular success in the artistic world despite the many obstacles facing female artists of her time. Her augmented reality statue will be placed next to the physical one of 18th century artist Pierre Puget, in the Parc Borély in Marseille.
Françoise de Graffigny: One of the most emblematic female figures of 18th century French literature, best known for her philosophical essay Letters from a Peruvian Woman published in 1747. Her augmented reality statue will be positioned next to the physical one of renown philosopher Montesquieu, at Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux.
Manon Tardon: Figure of the French Resistance and Free France, she was present on May 8, 1945, in Berlin when the surrender of Nazi Germany was signed. Her augmented reality statue will be positioned next to the physical one of World War 2 hero Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, at Square Amiral Halgan in Nantes.
Josephine Baker: An American-born singer, actress, feminist, showgirl, and French resistance fighter, Josephine Baker was a spy for the Free French Forces, an emblem of the Paris of the Roaring Twenties, and an influential figure in the fight against racial segregation. Her augmented reality statue will be placed next to the physical one of resistant fighter Jean Moulin, at Gare Centrale in Metz.
Olympe de Gouges: Principal author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen published in 1791, she is considered one of the French pioneers of feminism. Her augmented reality statue will be positioned next to the physical one of French Revolution leader Jean-Baptiste Kléber, at Place Kléber in Strasbourg.
Hubertine Auclert: Journalist, feminist activist, and founder of the society Le droit des femmes in 1876, she advocated for women’s economic independence, the right to education, and equality in marriage and divorce. Her augmented reality statue will be positioned next to the physical one of early 20th-century activist Léon Trulin, at Place du Théâtre (not far from the Lille Opera).
“Through this innovative experience installed in 8 cities in France, we want to pay tribute to 8 women who have changed French history and society through their actions, their writings, or their positions. Thanks to Snap’s augmented reality technologies, we were able to celebrate those 8 women by building their statues in the public space by placing them alongside statues of men. By establishing a silent dialogue between these historical figures, our wish is to raise public awareness of the fight for women’s rights.” — Donatien Bozon, AR Studio Director.
To design this outstanding augmented reality experience, AR Studio Paris teamed up with French Women’s Rights advocate and influencer Aude Gogny-Goubert, drew inspiration from academic essays (Women & cities, Presses universitaires François-Rabelais, 2004), and requested the patronage of SnapWomen EMEA, a Snap’s Employee Representative Group supporting Equity. An all-female panel vetted the 8 female historical figures (and their male counterpart), from more than twenty curated candidates.
It took AR Studio Paris and its partners a total of 3 months, from ideation to launch, to create true virtual monument as close to physical ones as possible. 3D artists and producers scrutinized the physical statues in order to develop a virtual counterpart replicating sculpting techniques and materials. AR engineers exploited Snap Inc. proprietary technologies (Location AR, Environment mapping, Surface Tracking…) to bring this augmented reality experience to life.
The AR experience “March 8, 8 Women” has been available since March 8, 2023, sharing, with Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Strasbourg, Metz and Nantes citizen and visitors, 8 permanent virtual monument exclusively available on Snapchat… thus building momentum to advocate Equity across France.
Snap believes that augmented reality—digital content overlaid over the real world—represents the next major shift in computing. Like ephemeral messaging and vertical video, Snap also pioneered augmented reality. Today Snap is leading in AR, from a technology, scale, and creator perspective. Snap’s vision for AR is rooted in innovation and stems from our desire to solve problems for our community in a creative way through human-centric design, and the desire to create a more positive reality rather than escape the problems our society faces. As it turns out, Snapchatters love the world around them and the friends and family they share it with, so why not use technology to enhance it for the better?
SOCIAL
An Overview of the Evolving Data Landscape Powering AI, VR, and More [Infographic]
![An Overview of the Evolving Data Landscape Powering AI, VR, and More [Infographic] An Overview of the Evolving Data Landscape Powering AI, VR, and More [Infographic]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1701770165_An-Overview-of-the-Evolving-Data-Landscape-Powering-AI-VR.jpg)
While AI and large language models (LLMs) become more commonplace, it’s worth considering the amount of computational power, and data storage, that these systems require to operate.
Demand for high-grade GPUs, for example, is still exceeding demand, as more tech companies and investors look to muscle in, while the big players continue to build on their data center capacity, in order to beat smaller systems out of the market.
That, inevitably, means that control over many of these new processes will eventually fall to those with the most money, and even if you have concerns about next-level computational power being governed by CEOs and corporations, there’s not a heap that you can do about it, as they need an established holding to even get in.
Well, unless a government steps in and seeks to build its own infrastructure in order to facilitate AI development, though that seems unlikely.
And it’s not just AI, with crypto processes, complex analysis, and advanced scientific discovery now largely reliant on a few key providers that have available capacity.
It’s a concern, but essentially, you can expect to see a lot more investment in big data centers and processing facilities over the coming years.
This new overview from Visual Capitalist (for Hive Digital) provides some additional context. Here, the VC team have broken down the current data center landscape, and what we’re going to need to facilitate next-level AI, VR, the metaverse, and more.
It’s an eye-opening summary. You can check out Visual Capitalists’ full overview here.
SOCIAL
30 Quick Ways to Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate [Infographic]
![30 Quick Ways to Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate [Infographic] 30 Quick Ways to Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate [Infographic]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1701723364_30-Quick-Ways-to-Increase-Your-Websites-Conversion-Rate-Infographic.jpg)
Looking to drive more direct conversions from your website listings this holiday season?
The team from Red Website Design share 30 ways to improve your website conversion rate in this infographic.
Here’s the top five from the list:
- Include as few fields as possible on forms
- Use testimonials
- Clearly state product/service benefits
- Include subscriber and social media follower counts
- Write clear, compelling copy
Check out the infographic for more detail.
A version of this post was first published on the Red Website Design blog.
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