You can’t trust your eyes to tell you what’s real anymore, says the head of Instagram
- Instagram boss Adam Mosseri warns that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and synthetic content.
- The rise of “infinite synthetic content” has made it easier to create realistic fake photos and videos, making the old assumption that they’re accurate captures of moments obsolete.
- Mosseri states that the traditional Instagram feed has been “dead” for years, as users increasingly rely on curated and manipulated content.
- The head of Instagram acknowledges that creating realistic fake photos is now trivial to do, thanks to advancements in technology.
- As a result, Mosseri is urging users to be more critical of the content they consume online, as it’s no longer possible to assume its accuracy without question.

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri is closing out 2025 with a 20-images-deep dive into what a new era of “infinite synthetic content” means as it all becomes harder and harder to distinguish from reality, and the old, more personal Instagram feed that he says has been “dead” for years. Last year, The Verge’s Sarah Jeong wrote that “…the default assumption about a photo is about to become that it’s faked, because creating realistic and believable fake photos is now trivial to do,” and Mosseri eventually concurs:
For most of my life I could safely assume photographs or videos were largely accurate captures of moments that happened. This is clearly …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. What is Adam Mosseri’s concern about Instagram?
A. He believes that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and synthetic content.
Q. How does Adam Mosseri describe the current state of Instagram?
A. He says that the old, more personal feed has been “dead” for years.
Q. What is Sarah Jeong’s statement about photos according to The Verge?
A. She states that creating realistic and believable fake photos is now trivial to do.
Q. How does Adam Mosseri agree with Sarah Jeong’s statement?
A. He concurs that the default assumption about a photo should be that it’s faked.
Q. What has changed for Adam Mosseri regarding photographs or videos?
A. He can no longer safely assume they are largely accurate captures of moments.
Q. How does Adam Mosseri describe the era of “infinite synthetic content”?
A. He says it means a new era where all content becomes harder to distinguish from reality.
Q. What is Adam Mosseri’s perspective on Instagram in 2025?
A. He is closing out the year with a deep dive into the implications of this new era.
Q. How does Adam Mosseri view the current state of Instagram?
A. He believes it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and synthetic content.
Q. What does Adam Mosseri think about the authenticity of photos and videos?
A. He thinks that creating realistic and believable fake photos is now trivial to do, making it harder to trust one’s eyes.
Q. How does Adam Mosseri describe the era of “infinite synthetic content” in relation to reality?
A. He says it means a new era where all content becomes harder and harder to distinguish from reality.