We are a mosaic of everything we come across
We are a conglomeration of everyone and everything we met along the way in our lifetime. What we claim to be “us” or “our” - how we text, speak, or think is actually a product of years and years of influence of our surroundings. From who we were raised by, what friends we have or had, what we saw, read, to the smallest interactions we’ve made. Hippolyte Taine, known for his concept of determinism, suggests that people are determined by milieu, race, and historical moment. In other words, the way we text, talk, and think is not solely our own product. Our identity becomes a mosaic of countless experiences, not just a solitary self-made portrait.
Every idea we adopt or reject adds up to the pattern of who we are. In the modern age of mass media, it’s immediate. Social media and current trends that spread worldwide overnight inevitably seep into our minds, even before we notice, subtly controlling what choices we make. Maybe our personal dictionary, fashion style, or a joke that we remember and then share. Recognising this doesn’t make us immune, but being aware of this process can help you recognise the patterns, and it gives you a chance to navigate them more consciously.
Think about ads and shopping habits - advertisements like posters, radio, or TV ads, which even if we passively listen still subconsciously enter our brains, shaping what we buy, or what brands we gravitate to. Very 1984-esque, but that’s called neuromarketing - manipulating our wants and needs, so ultimately manipulating who we are. Techniques like priming1 and subliminal messaging2 are being deliberately used to steer our behaviour without us realising. Remember any catchy line or song from an advertisement? If you were online for at least a day this year, chances are you’ve heard the absolutely rancid “nothing beats jet2holidays” line. I hate that I remember it, and I hate that advertisements are slowly becoming online meme culture.
Think of your identity like a storybook. Every person you meet or experience you have is a chapter with a lot of footnotes in that book. The culture around you might suggest how that chapter is written, but you are the author. By recognising how you’re being influenced, you actually gain more control over your narrative, even in a world full of manipulation.
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