1、1HUMAN TRUTHS IN THE ALGORITHMIC ERA2026 MEDIA TRENDSHUMAN TRUTHS INTHE ALGORITHMIC ERA2026 MEDIA TRENDS 2025 dentsu|all rights reserved2HUMAN TRUTHS IN THE ALGORITHMIC ERA2026 MEDIA TRENDSINTRODUCTIONJust a few years ago,the media landscape seemed to be dominated by a handful of platforms across so
2、cial,commerce,search and video.Between them,they captured the lions share of strategic audience data and advertising spend.Then came the disruptors.TikTok rewired how people discover culture.OpenAI and its peers blurred the line between search engine and oracle.The certainties of the 2010s suddenly
3、looked fragile.By 2026,the foundations may crack even further,illustrated by international trading disputes potentially reshaping how and where people spend,and by different regional approaches in the AI race.1So how can brands drive growth and thrive in these times of guaranteed uncertainty?They mu
4、st focus on what remains stable over time by rooting their strategic thinking in core,invariable human behaviors to rigorously evaluate where to invest in the Algorithmic Era.In this 16th annual edition of Media Trends,dentsu experts explore how brands can anchor their thinking around three enduring
5、 human truths to grow in 2026:PART 01/WE ARE SIMPLE UNTIL WE ARE COMPLEXWe examine what peoples motives for convenience mean for brands looking to maximize the search,agentic AI,and commerce opportunities.PART 02/WE ARE SOCIAL ANIMALSWe explore how brands that nurture peoples desire to connect and s
6、ocialize across communities of interest,live experiences,and messaging can gain a significant competitive advantage.PART 03/WE DONT READ ADVERTISINGWe cover how brands can overcome advertisings diminishing returns through better signal quality,a more sophisticated understanding of attention,and new