Stressed-out, exposed, and beleaguered by slop: How attitudes towards the internet are changing in 2026

For many people, online exposure is no longer seen as a mere risk, but as something increasingly difficult to avoid.

Incogni’s study suggests everyday people feel powerless in securing their personal data in the face of increasingly common data breaches.

People are becoming uncertain about what they can trust online, from the security of their personal data to the authenticity of the content appearing in their feeds.

Incogni’s latest research suggests this uncertainty is developing into a broader sense of resignation. Data exposure is often viewed as unavoidable, AI-generated content is making the internet harder to parse, and greater privacy or control may increasingly feel available only to those willing, and able, to pay for it.

Incogni’s researchers came to these conclusions after analysing the survey responses of a representative sample of 1,000 adults.

Key insights:

• Over 1 in 2 respondents believe their personal data is bound to be exposed in a breach.
• Of those respondents, 63% say the possibility makes them anxious.
• 1 in 2 respondents say they regret having shared personal information online.
• Almost half (48%) say AI-generated content has made it harder to know what is real online. This especially affects the Baby Boomer generation (with 59% indicating the same).
• 27% of respondents report that the ubiquity of AI content makes them want to spend significantly less time online.
• 43% believe they spend too much time viewing content online.
• 29% of respondentswould pay for access to an internet free from tracking and algorithmic feeds—willingness rises sharply with income.

More people expect their data to be breached

Given the frequency of data breaches appearing in the news, Incogni’s researchers wanted to find out how everyday people see the safety of their data.

More than half (52%) of respondents indicated that they believe their data is bound to be exposed in a breach. Only 11% disagreed, while 37% were unsure.

Interestingly, this expectation was most common among Millennials and Gen X respondents. Gen X respondents (56%) and Millennials (55%) were most likely to have a pessimistic outlook.

These findings suggest that repeated reports of data exposure may be creating a sense of resignation. For many people, data breaches have become an increasingly normal consequence of being active online.

People are questioning how much time the internet takes from them

Concerns about the online environment are also changing how people assess their own habits. Particularly attitudes towards the amount of time they spend online.

43% of respondents reported spending too much time browsing social media and online news. Interestingly, Gen Z are the most self-critical in this regard, with 51% indicating that they spend too much time online “consuming content,” compared with 43% of Millennials and 42% of Gen X respondents.

The result shows that dissatisfaction is not limited to what people encounter online. Many are also uncomfortable with how much attention the online environment demands from them.

AI is making the internet harder to trust

The spread of AI-generated content appears to be weakening people’s confidence in what they encounter online.

Incogni’s researchers wanted to investigate how everyday people are reacting to AI-generated content online.

Almost 1 in 2 respondents reported feeling less sure of which content is real, due to the accelerating spread of so-called AI-content. Furthermore, 40% reported worrying about the lack of accountability of those distributing such content, while 27% say they want to spend less time online due to the prevalence of low-quality, LLM-generated content.

Positive reactions were much less common. Around 1 in 10 respondents reported seeing positive aspects of AI-generated content, with 12% expressing the belief that information is more accessible because of so-called AI tools and 11% being excited about the creative possibilities they may afford, while 9% claimed AI tools helped them filter and organize content.

Half of respondents regret sharing personal information online

The survey findings show that 1 in 2 respondents regretted sharing at least some personal information online.

Regret was highest among Gen Z women, with 61% reporting they had shared personal information which they later wished they had kept private.

This finding emphasizes the lasting nature of online disclosure. Information shared in a moment can remain searchable, replicable or accessible long after the person who posted it has changed their mind.

Add to this the growing awareness of just how likely data breaches have become, and any kind of personal data-sharing starts to feel risky, whether that sharing involves public disclosure or limited disclosure, like giving a single company information.

Stress and privacy concerns are already driving users away

For many people, concern about the online environment has already translated into action.

Overall, 58% of respondents reported having deleted at least one social media or messaging app account because of stress, anxiety, or privacy concerns. Stress and anxiety were the more common reasons, cited by 47% of respondents, while 41% had deleted such an account because of privacy concerns.

Women were slightly more likely than men to report deleting an app because of stress or anxiety, with 49% reporting having done so compared to 45% of men.

Around half of all users surveyed, whether men or women, have deleted a social media or messaging app because of the stress or anxiety it had been causing them. Privacy concerns are almost as common as a reason for such deletion. It seems that the costs of engaging with these platforms are starting to outweigh any perceived or actual benefits.

Is a less intrusive internet becoming a luxury?

Incongi’s researchers also investigated how many people were willing to pay for privacy.

Nearly 3 in 10 respondents said they would pay for access to an internet without tracking or algorithmic feeds, while 46% said they would not.

Willingness to pay varied significantly by financial situation. Respondents in the higher income group* (38%) were almost twice as likely to say they would foot the bill for a tracking and algorithm free internet than lower-income respondents (22%). Notably, Incogni’s researchers noted that members of the medium income group were closer in their responses than those in the lower income group.

This could be a sign that privacy is a relatively low priority for individuals when allocating finances is involved. In turn, it’s possible that only those with disposable income can afford to allocate it to a more private internet.

The difference raises a broader question about who can afford greater control online. If reduced tracking, fewer algorithmic interventions, and greater privacy are available mainly through paid services, a calmer and less intrusive internet risks becoming a premium experience rather than the standard one.

*To see how respondents were grouped by income levels, please refer to “Notes on data” in the methodology section.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that people are not losing confidence in only one part of the internet. They’re questioning whether their data can remain secure, whether the content they encounter can be trusted, and whether meaningful control is available without paying for it.

Front and center in all this is the torrent of “AI slop” that has been displacing authentic content for years. What email spam did to people’s inboxes in the ‘90s, AI slop is doing to search-engine results pages—and the internet more broadly—in 2026. Social media is particularly affected, with bot accounts disseminating this type of content en masse.

And it’s not just any slop, but often slop designed to sow division, further polarizing online spaces and discouraging users from participating.

Methodology

The survey was conducted between the 1st and 9th of June, 2026, surveying 1,000 Americans. It was conducted via Cint and captured a representative sample of Americans (by age and geographic distribution).

Notes on data

In order to group people by income levels, respondents were asked the following question: “How would you define your household’s financial situation?”

• “High income” respondents are those who selected:
  • There’s enough money to buy a house or a car, in addition to saving
  • There’s enough money to buy household appliances and go on vacation, in addition to saving
• “Average income” respondents are those who selected:
  • There’s enough money for food and necessities, in addition to saving
  • There’s enough money for food and necessities, but no money for saving
• “Low income” respondents are those who selected:
  • There’s a lack of money for some necessities but no need to borrow money
  • Lacking money for some necessities and required to borrow

Use of visuals

Notwithstanding the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licenses of the visuals above, Incogni grants news organizations and other media entities permission to use the specified asset(s) in their news coverage or commentary, including on pages that display advertising.

The visuals can be downloaded or embedded using the menu at the top right of each visual. Embedded visuals preserve their interactivity.