I just got back from a few days in the South of France, and I was struck by how little authenticity I saw.

By the pool, people would show up, strip down, stage an iPhone photoshoot, and leave, without ever enjoying the sun or the water.

Outside Louis Vuitton, queues formed not to shop, but to capture the perfect “walking by” shot for their followers.

What shocked me most wasn’t the posing itself, but the effort to make it all look unplanned, re-shot again and again until it looked “natural.”

The lack of authenticity was staggering. Who are they trying to fool?

Has authenticity lost its value, or have people just stopped caring? 🤔

I don’t think it’s either. Authenticity has always been the highest-value asset… It’s just intangible. And in today’s world, egos crave tangible validation: likes, views, clicks.

The problem? Inauthenticity doesn’t create advocacy or loyalty. The moment the stream of ego-driven content dries up, so does the audience.

On LinkedIn, the same thing happens. It’s not staged photos but the self-congratulatory headlines: “I took the company from $x to $xxx” (as one of hundreds) or claiming to be the savior of their industry.

If there were a way to measure the long-term cost of inauthenticity, I bet many would stop and choose the harder, but more sustainable path: being their true selves.

Yet, unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve hit peak nonsense yet. 🤦‍♂️

So, instead of posting the shot of me sipping the perfect rosé in my swimming trunks that I know you all want (🤥), here’s a Maxim I think of a lot to stay aligned with genuine authenticity 🙅‍♂️📸🩲: