Instagram is changing in 2026: 8 trends that should redefine content, ads, and sales.

The year 2026 on Instagram will be a turning point, characterized by an unprecedented strategic duality. On the one hand, the rise of artificial intelligence, which will redefine advertising, transforming the marketing professional of a manual task performer to a strategic supervisor. On the other hand, a continuous response from consumers and the platform's own algorithm, which starts to value authenticity, original content and human connections as competitive differentials. 

The analysis carried out by MLABS, the intelligent social media management platform, details the eight main trends for 2026 that should shape content, behavior, sales and influence on the platform.

1. Full automation on paid traffic

Instagram will experience a break in paid traffic with the goal plan to completely automate the creation and placement of ads by the end of 2026. The logic is to democratize access to advertising, especially for small and medium-sized companies that do not have specialized teams. “In this new context, the marketing professional is no longer an executor and starts to act as a strategic supervisor. Its value will be to provide clear briefings, ensure brand coherence and adjust the creativity generated by AI”, comments Rafael Kiso, CMO and founder of MLABS.

2. The End of Cookies and the Rise of First-Party Data

With the discontinuation of third-party cookies and the increase in privacy restrictions, First-Party Data becomes the “golden currency” of digital marketing. As it is collected directly from the audience and with consent, it guarantees compliance with the LGPD and becomes fundamental to power the automated meta campaigns, whose performance will depend on the quality of this data. The movement makes room for hyper-personalization at scale, allowing more accurate audiences for remarketing and prospecting.

3. “unshittification”: the return to authenticity

The saturation of AI-generated content increases the demand for real, imperfect and emotional stories. The search for simplicity and humanity strengthens lo-fi formats and repositions authenticity as a competitive differentiator. It is the balance between automation and emotion that sustains community building. This return to simplicity, nicknamed “unshittification”, replaces humanity as a competitive differential. Brands start to test new voices and styles, betting on genuine stories to gain relevance in organic. 

4. Domain of video and long-short content

Reels remain the algorithm's priority, now with an extended duration for up to 90 seconds, valuing retention. The challenge for brands and creators will be to master micro-storytelling, capture the user in seconds and deepen the message in the sequence. A critical point is that Instagram will penalize republicated content, privileging original productions. With this, brands that depend on reposts or memes will see a drop in reach. 

5. Carousel becomes a storytelling tool

The magnification of the carousel to 20 photos or videos deepens engagement and allows from long tutorials to complete product windows. The carousel was already a high engagement format, as it encourages permanence and interaction. The increase in the image limit is a direct response to the competition with TikTok, which allows for more photos and has grown among the young audience.

“This functionality offers the opportunity to create content synergy: a viral Reel can serve as the ‘bait,’ directing the audience to a carousel in the feed that deepens the topic and, finally, to a sale,” details the executive.

6. Social SEO: Being found matters more than going viral

Instagram consolidates itself as a search engine. Given this scenario, applying social seo becomes indispensable. To gain organic reach in 2026, brands must optimize their name, bio, subtitles and hashtags with relevant keywords, structuring content to be discovered. “ The logic of viralization gives rise to the logic of qualified discovery, and whoever dominates these practices tends to consolidate themselves as an authority in their own niche”, points out Kiso.

7. Social Commerce evolves beyond lives

Social Commerce continues to expand globally, even in the face of Instagram's decision to end Live Shopping. Meta now focuses efforts on ShopPable ads and on-the-platform checkout, a more scalable model aligned with the advancement of AI automation. According to the expert, for brands and creators, the recommendation is clear: “Don't depend on a single format and focus on content that leads to checkout, combined with paid traffic campaigns optimized for conversion”.

8. 2.0 Influence Marketing and Integrated Affiliates

Influencer marketing continues to expand globally and evolves into a more results-oriented model. The focus migrates from mega-influencers to micro and nano-creators, which offer greater engagement and authenticity, a decisive factor for the 2026 consumer, who relies more on “proximity” recommendations than celebrities.

“ The fusion of the models allows brands to drive the full journey, from discovery to purchase, using creators such as confidence vectors and traceable links as a performance engine”, concludes Kiso.