Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on January 3, 2026.
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The start of a new year is always a time to look forward, and when it comes to blogging in 2026, there are a lot of things to be aware of.
So in this one, we thought we'd pull out our crystal ball and look at some of the biggest things that are likely to come this year, predict what will happen, and share a bit about what we are doing to prepare!
AI Wins or Goes Bust in a Big Way
It is our third year running with an AI prediction, and, we have to admit, we have been pretty spot on with our previous guesses. In 2024, we predicted that new tools would come out to help bloggers despite the noise. In 2025, we predicted that AI will be getting to the point that Dead Internet Theory was looking like a prophecy, not a joke.
It really does feel like that right now. AI slop is taking over just about everywhere you look.
It feels like 2026 is a make-or-break year for AI in general. Big tech companies are hemorrhaging billions upon billions of dollars to try and control information, and with it, truth, and 2026 is either the year we likely see a winner crowned or the industry imploding on itself.
Either way, the outcomes don't feel great.
On one hand, we may see a clear frontrunner start taking out competitors. Many believe that OpenAI is on its last legs if it doesn't turn a profit soon. Grok is, let's be honest, a rather sad ego project (do we really need to elaborate on this one further?). Other AI companies may have legs in certain applications, but as far as information access is concerned, our gut feel is that Gemini will be the last man standing because Google has the means to outlast everyone else.
In this case, it feels like the winner would effectively control digital information. Most people currently use Google to access information via finding independent resources. But most people using AI to access data directly? Well, that's uncharted territory, and we're not sure we like where this one leads. Let's just say that putting glue on your pizza to hold toppings in place could look quaint.
On the other hand, no one is excited about AI anymore, and that is what gives us hope. Most social networks are full of slop. Search results are garbage. The latest innovations for an everyday AI user are often about how you can animate your puppy from a photo, and not any form of life changing developments that people actually care about. Throw on a number of inevitable lawsuits and just a general lack of interest, and we could see the entire market imploding and taking all AI-focused tech companies down with it.
That said, we don't think AI will ever totally go away. For specific industry use-cases, AI is still solving problems and will continue to solve problems- as it should be. But for a full AI takeover of the internet and how it is used by everyday consumers just wanting to access information and media, we could just see a fundamental rejection of it all. That implosion won't be pretty.
In either case, 2026 is looking like the year where this all comes to a head, and we're buckling up for the ride. But, like Google, we're going to have the same goal- outlast whatever happens next.
Marketing Budgets Start Shifting
In 2025, we made a prediction that bloggers would need to diversify more and more to cobble together a reasonable income, and this continues to be true. Gone are the days where you could build a website to a full-time income on just display ads. Now a full-time blogging gig is effectively a form of juggling many income streams, where none may sustain you alone, but together, it works.
Diversification can, does, and will continue to pay off. Although I fell short of a record income year in 2025 (display ads really are down a lot), I hit a record in several other categories- sponsored content, affiliates, products, and social media bonus revenue.
There is money out there, if you're creative in finding it.
Truthfully, it is far easier these days to create five income streams that make $10,000 per year, or ten income streams that make $5,000 per year, than it is to make one income stream that makes $50,000. Personally, I wouldn't be upset if each of my five sites had five income streams that made >$5,000 per year, as that would get me to a record year*. This looks a lot different from my current record year, 2021, where I made almost $100,000 on display ads on just two sites (amounting to 82% of my total revenue!).
But those days are gone, and likely not coming back any time soon.
One recurring story we've shared in our newsletter again and again is that budgets for content creators has risen considerably in recent years. To no one's surprised, sponsored content was one of my own income streams that hit a record total in 2025. But in 2026, we expect marketing budgets to start to see some flux.
Some companies may slow spending in one or more categories (sponsored content, display ads, affiliates, etc.). Others may double down on one or two that work the best. We wouldn't be surprised if companies scale things back and align long-term with a smaller number of partners that have proven results over casting a wide net with partnerships. And don't get us started on what would happen if the AI bubble pops.
So while we think there will still be a great deal of money available in the blogging sphere in 2026, we think things are going to start shifting very, very soon- possibly to the detriment of those who are all-in on influencer marketing, and, perhaps, to the benefit of those who can tap into a bit of everything.
- *Clarification: My goal right now is having my five major income categories (sponsored content, affiliates, products, social bonus, and display ads) breaking $25,000 per year, with some combination of that coming from each of my five sites. It doesn't have to be a perfect $5,000 per site per stream. I hit this target for three categories in 2025, and am hoping to lift the other two (products and social bonus) to that threshold in 2026 while continuing to increase the rest.
A Rejection of the Status Quo
The biggest shift we see likely coming in 2026, both for creators and consumers of digital media, is an outright rejection of the status quo.
We alluded to this a bit in the AI section above, but it really isn't exclusive to AI. A lot of the internet that we use today is, well, junk (and yes, AI is a big part of it). But this is due to many issues seemingly coming to a head- search results becoming worse to keep you on page, social networks not showing content from those we follow to keep you on app, influencer content being commercial after commercial, and whatever content you do see just being boring. I could go on.
Data may suggest that app time is going up per user, as this is the goal of all of the changes, but we are likely approaching a breaking point where more and more users start to reject this normal and shift their habits considerably.
Myself, I've already locked down social media on my phone to try and minimize my use. I get on, post, reply to comments, and leave to go touch grass. Many others are going to start doing the same.
This could be good for some- my content was always designed for people who like to touch grass, not as entertainment. This could also be bad for some- changing habits means changing access, and our readership may shuffle around just like everything else.
But if 2026 becomes the year where content creators finally realize they don't have to go all-in on revenue streams they hate, but can diversify to make money on things you enjoy (all while touching some grass along the way), we'd consider that a win. That is a hard road to take, as I know this first-hand, but it is refreshing once you start seeing the other side.
Where do you think blogging is headed in 2026? Comment below to share!
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This post gives me so much hope. Thank you! I have also been diversifying my income streams and limiting my time on social media, and while my income is not quite what it was in 2022, I am finding ways to make it work while still maintaining a decent work-life balance (and lots of grass touching). Thank you!