What’s happening: A slew of new reporting highlights that the internet, and how it’s used, is fundamentally changing. Cloudflare’s internet traffic radar revealed that bot traffic has finally eclipsed human user traffic. Platforms like Reddit are being flooded by companies looking to manipulate AI search engines scraping them for information. And Gen Z is rejecting social media and algorithm-rich technology in favor of “dumbphones” and digital detoxes. All of this points to a media and attention economy that looks materially different than it did 5–10 years ago, and communicators are already grappling with this new normal, and what’s to come after it.
Between the lines: What was one fringe theory is feeling a lot more real as AI-generated content colonizes search results and social feeds, agents sit between humans and the information they used to find themselves, and the race for AI search visibility only pours fuel on it. As the open web is consumed with synthetic noise, authentic human activity is retreating behind digital walls: paid newsletters, private group chats, tight-knit digital communities, and other places where they can curate their online diet, while escaping the deluge of slop.
Communicators who keep chasing broad reach on noise-flooded channels will eventually find themselves shouting at bots. While there’s a place in the strategy deck for it (in AI search and agent-to-agent communications), real earned presence is moving toward high-trust, high-intention spaces. Expect savvy communicators to place more stock in Substacks, closed communities, direct relationships, and in some cases, Reddit (the subreddits that haven’t been compromised yet, at least).
Comms is getting more complicated, but the function of PR remains stuck outside of central enterprise decision making, writes Craig Carroll, founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, in a new byline for PRovoke Media.
CityAM editor Anna Moloney penned a candid column about the outlet being inundated with AI-written pitches and op-eds, leaving readers with one scathing question about AI-generated writing: “If you can’t be bothered to write it, why should anyone be bothered to read it?”
Morning Consult’s “Most Trusted Brands 2026” report highlights Dawn Dish Soap, BAND-AID, Google, Dove, and PayPal as companies who have garnered the most trust from consumers. Mr. Pibb, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and Lunchables were among the brands that saw the most year-over-year growth.
Editorial leaders at Business Insider tell PRDaily that access to executives and visuals, recurring insights, and an appetite to create meaningful change are all things they look for in a pitch or executive source.
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