Social media platforms that once promised connection and community are increasingly feeling artificial, fragmented and exhausting. The growing flood of AI-generated content — often referred to as “AI slop” — along with realistic deepfakes is accelerating that decline, raising serious concerns about trust, authenticity and online well-being.

AI tools such as OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo and Midjourney have made it easier than ever to generate hyperrealistic images and videos with a simple text prompt. While these technologies showcase impressive technical progress, they’ve also opened the door to a surge of low-quality, deceptive and emotionally hollow content filling social media feeds.

AI slop typically includes mass-produced visuals and videos that serve little purpose beyond grabbing attention — from animals behaving like humans to physics-defying pranks and fabricated scenarios. Alongside this, deepfakes of public figures saying or doing things that never happened are becoming more widespread, making it increasingly difficult for users to distinguish fact from fiction.

The result is a more tiring and less trustworthy online experience. Users are now expected to constantly question whether what they’re seeing is real, edited or entirely synthetic. That added cognitive burden is contributing to feelings of detachment and skepticism, rather than connection.

Experts warn that this shift is also changing the core purpose of social platforms. Instead of helping people stay in touch with friends and family, platforms are increasingly optimized to keep users engaged with endless streams of algorithm-driven content — much of it artificial. While recommendation systems can surface interesting creators and topics, they’ve also pushed genuine, everyday posts further out of view.

AI-generated influencers and entirely fictional lifestyles are adding another layer of concern, especially around body image and self-worth. Where users once compared themselves to heavily edited photos of real people, they’re now confronted with flawless, computer-generated faces and bodies that are literally unattainable.

Social media companies say they’re taking steps to address the issue. Platforms like Meta and TikTok have pledged to label AI-generated content and limit harmful deepfakes. TikTok has also announced tests allowing users to control how much AI-generated content appears in their feeds, while Pinterest has rolled out similar tools.

However, critics argue these measures are falling short. With limited government regulation and the rapid pace of AI development, enforcement largely depends on platforms policing themselves — a task made harder by the sheer volume of content uploaded every second.

Research suggests users are already losing trust. A recent study found that nearly half of respondents viewed content as less credible when they suspected it was AI-generated, and a majority reported feeling less emotionally connected to it.

As AI continues to reshape digital spaces, the challenge for social media platforms is becoming clear: without stronger safeguards, transparency and meaningful moderation, artificial content risks drowning out authenticity — turning social media into a place that feels less social than ever.