The Glitch Principle: Why Readers Trust Messy Brains Over Perfect Bots

“Something about this just feels… off.”

Ever had that reaction to a piece of writing?

Like, on paper it’s good. Clean. Structured. Maybe even informative. 

But your gut? It’s not buying it.

Welcome to the Uncanny Valley of content. 🧠

Back in 1970, robotics professor Masahiro Mori coined a term that would live forever in tech folklore: The Uncanny Valley.

He noticed something weird - robots that look sort of human are charming.

But the more human they become - until they're nearly perfect - we start to feel uneasy. 🫣

Why?

Because our brains pick up on the subtle “off-ness.”

A dead stare. A fake smile. Movements just a beat too slow.

It’s almost human… but not quite. And that almost triggers the ick.

• A robotic arm with no skin? Fine. It looks robotic.

• A cartoon hand? Cute. No problem.

• A prosthetic hand that looks very real but feels cold and moves unnaturally? Creepy.

That’s the Uncanny Valley in action - it’s almost human, but the small differences freak us out.

Cue: The Valley.

Now fast-forward to today.

Swap out humanoid robots… and plug in AI-generated content.

✔️ It’s grammatically correct.
✔️ It has data.
✔️ It might even sound smart.

But something about it doesn’t feel right.

It’s polished, sure. But it’s also soulless. Predictable. Forgettable.

You’re nodding along, but you’re not moved.

Sound familiar?

This is the new Uncanny Valley. Where content hits all the right beats, but still misses the heart.

So… what’s the fix?

Let’s borrow Mori’s playbook.

He said:

👉 Don’t chase realism. Chase connection.
👉 Instead of building a “perfect hand,” build one that’s deliberately different - and still human in its own way.

In other words:

What that looks like in practice:

• A flawed, brilliant product note scribbled at 1AM

• A rant in Slack that accidentally becomes your next campaign

• A founder story with bad formatting and a ton of heart

It’s the slightly messy stuff that makes you feel.

Not because it’s perfect. But because it’s real.

So next time you prompt ChatGPT for content, try this:

💡 Embrace imperfection - a little mess, humor, or personality
💡 Add a messy anecdote, insight, and context
💡 Keep in the weird phrasing you actually use
💡 Share the why, not just the what

And if it feels a little too polished?

Scuff it up. Add fingerprints. 👣

Because the goal isn’t to sound like everyone else.

The goal is to feel like you.

I wish I knew this earlier…

Turns out, writing like a robot was my first mistake. 🤖

I used to think “good” content meant:

✔️ Rigid structure
✔️ Perfect grammar
✔️ Tons of data with endless sources

But looking back at my early articles, they felt like ChatGPT’s polite cousin - correct, but lifeless.

Then I hit the Uncanny Valley of content.

My drafts were technically fine, but readers weren’t connecting.

Why?

➜ No messy “aha” moments
➜ No passionate thoughts from late-night research binges
➜ No fingerprints of my real, messy brain

So, I stopped trying to sound like a textbook and started writing like a person.

Here’s how:

• Leave in the 2AM notes – the “wait, but WHY?” tangents from my research

• Keep the battle scars – where I got things wrong and how I fixed them (trust > perfection)

• Add context – explain why this insight matters to me, not just “marketers”

• Rotate the lens – update old posts with new lessons (no “final drafts”)

My articles aren’t just articles anymore. They’re:

✨ Snapshots of my growing knowledge
✨ A mix of data and gut feelings that actually worked
✨ Guides to the mistakes I made, so you don’t have to

Your mission this week 🔍

1. Find a piece of content you wrote (or generated) that felt a bit… uncanny

2. Ask: What’s missing? Context? Personality? Heart?

3. Rewrite it with one weird detail only you would know

You’ll be surprised at how much difference a tiny personal touch can make to the connection your content creates. 😻

Wanna learn more about The Uncanny Valley?

Here’s the original essay by Masahiro Mori: Check it out here 👈🏼

Share your finds - we’ll feature the best ones💡

If you come across an article, picture, meme, or anything else you think is useful, don’t hesitate to share it with us.

We’d be happy to include it in our next newsletter! 📄

📩 Reach out at: [email protected] 

Stayed until the end?

That’s loyalty right there! ❤️

Until next time,
Gordana
Community Manager @ Collabwriting