Social Media News / March 2026

Why hello there 👋

March has entered the chat and it’s bringing verification shake-ups, culture shifts, and a whole lot of synthetic noise 📲

Instagram is redrawing the lines between account types. TikTok is spotlighting creators who are genuinely moving culture forward. And the conversation around “AI slop” is getting louder by the week 🤖

In a feed that’s starting to feel crowded, human perspective is becoming the real flex. We also got our steps in while capturing the energy of the Round the Bays for Swisse 👟

Consider this your monthly clarity scroll, skip the clutter and jump straight into the facts. Let’s get into what’s actually worth your attention 👀

Instagram’s Account Shake-up

Instagram has quietly adjusted the boundaries between Personal, Public, and Professional accounts, revealing a lot about how the platform now defines a “creator.”

Public accounts get a boost 📊
You no longer need to switch to Professional to access performance insights. Public accounts now have a foundational Insights Dashboard. It’s a practical middle ground if you want visibility on reach without committing to full business tools.

The 1,000 follower milestone 🎯
Reaching 1,000 followers is becoming the official unlock for advanced features like Instagram Live. If you’re not there yet, the strategy is simple. Focus on community first. Then the tools follow.

Accounts built for business 🚀
Creator and Business accounts remain essential for those who need monetisation features and ad tools. If you’re running campaigns or planning growth, this is still where the heavy lifting happens.

Instagram is creating clearer lanes. The question is which one works best for you?

TikTok’s 2026 Discover List

TikTok has announced its 2026 Discover List, and it’s a masterclass in what the algorithm is rewarding right now, clear intent.

This isn’t about follower counts. It’s a curated global showcase of 50 creators across five categories:

📚 Educators
🍜 Foodies
🎤 Icons
💡 Innovators
🎬 Originators 

These creators aren’t chasing every trend. They’re building authority, sharing perspective, and shifting culture. For brands, this list is more than interesting. It’s strategic. It highlights creators who have already built trust within their communities 🤝 Take Morgan McKeen for example, aka @stemwithm, our very own Aotearoa science whiz 🤓 Morgan is on the Educators list. She’s a primary teacher turned STEM educator who brings science to life, showing how it applies to the real world and sparks curiosity. From quirky animal facts to mind-blowing space science, Morgan inspires her community to think critically and take action.

Escaping the “Dead Internet”

You’ve probably heard the phrase floating around “Dead Internet Theory”. The phrase refers to the idea that real human voices are being drowned out by bot accounts and synthetic content. Whether you subscribe to it or not, audiences can feel the difference.

We’re seeing a rise in what many call AI slop. Content that is digital junk food 🍟 Posts that take two seconds to generate, but five minutes to consume. 

Here’s what to watch out for to spot AI content:

The “Too Perfect” Polish ✨
Look out for unnaturally smooth skin, flat voiceovers, no imperfections. Real life has texture and AI often misses it.

The Hallucination Check 🔍
The small details still trip it up. AI still makes little mistakes such as extra fingers, nonsensical background text, earrings that don’t match. 

Generic LinkedIn-ese 📝
AKA words and phrases that you see everywhere. If it reads like a corporate template, that’s usually not a coincidence.

Because of the overall backlash against AI-made content, platforms are actively rewarding raw human content. Your company ‘s social media should not only have a personality, but it may benefit from showing the candid work behind the company. Think Behind-the-scenes glimpses, real-time reactions, showing recent projects or even introducing your company crew.

We’re not saying ditch AI. It’s brilliant for sparking ideas, sourcing information, or handling data-heavy tasks. But it should not replace your judgment, your tone, or your brand voice.

If your content loses its human pulse, your audience will feel it. In a world filling up with bots, being unmistakably human is your biggest competitive advantage 🔮

Round the Bays with Swisse 

We were on the ground at the Auckland Southern Cross Round The Bays Fun Run 2026, capturing all the energy of the event for Swisse, the Official Vitamin Partner. Swisse supported over 46,000 participants across Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland, and we filmed it all as it unfolded 📸

From the windy shores of Pōneke to Auckland’s 31,000-strong street party along Tāmaki Drive, we brought the camera to catch all of the action and celebrated the “Stretch. Run. Swisse. Repeat.” routine. Swisse kept the vibes high with product giveaways at the finish line and engaging digital banners throughout the race 🏁 It was a day full of colour, community, and movement, and we were thrilled to turn that energy into scroll-stopping social content. 

That’s a wrap for March 🎉

We’ll be back soon with more social signals to help you stay one step ahead of the scroll ✨

The Mosh Crew