A new iStock 2025 Marketing Trends report finds declining consumer trust in social media and influencers, emphasizing the importance of relatability over perfection for marketers and businesses.
The iStock report finds that 81% of consumers don’t trust content on social media. Nevertheless they still trust visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels for discovery and inspiration. In terms of influence, 64% of consumers trust businesses over celebrities and influencers, particularly brands that align with their values (58%).
iStock’s data shows that consumer perception of influencer “realness” has declined, with 67% of people trusting traditional advertising over sponsored influencer posts. iStock is recommending what it calls Real-User Content (RUC), images and videos that project realness. Video content was highlighted by iStock as a strong trend that consumers should consider as more consumers turn to video content for learning and inspiration.
iStock recommends that marketers focus on being “real, truthful, and original” as the key to building trust. While authenticity is important, iStock is emphasizing offering real stories and being relatable as opposed to content that reflects virtually unattainable perfection.
They write:
“This change is affecting how people interact with visual content, especially on social media. Despite people’s lack of trust, they still find these platforms valuable, 82% of users still go to places like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts for video content to learn something new or get inspiration. In other words, people want the benefits of social media, without the negative effects. This shift has also made video-driven social search more popular, where platforms focused on video are no longer just for scrolling —they’ve become places to search and discover. In 2025, to succeed, you need to speak directly to your audience, this approach will always be more effective than a flood of generic posts.”
The report recommends radical honesty by showing the company in ways that include imperfect moments. iStock’s 2025 Marketing Trends report shows an approach to connecting with consumers in a way that reflects qualities of realness that people are looking for in the content they consume.
Read iStock’s report:
Crack the Code on Trust: 2025 Marketing Insights for Small Businesses
Featured Image by Shutterstock/HAKINMHAN