It’s no secret the majority of students cringe at the mere thought of class introductions and icebreakers. However, each semester I find myself sincerely looking forward to them. I enjoy learning more about my classmates and their individual interests and personalities, which can be revealed through something as simple as their major. Despite my liking for these introductory activities, this year, the ritual seemed to be filled with less personal expression.
One moment that stood out to me was a student sharing that they chose their major simply because their friends picked it, all of them deciding to pursue one major together. This comment backed up a theory I’ve been considering for a while that social media and its algorithms perpetuate copy-and-paste thinking and lack of critical inquiry.
I believe that we as a society are starting to lack individuality, relying on herd mentality for our interests and paths we take in life, while forgetting our important attributes that make us different. Basing your major on friends’ choices instead of your own individual strengths and interests is only the beginning of the lack of independence I’m talking about. I truly think social media is one of the biggest forces driving this normalized conformity. Many people would argue that social media is a great place for expressing yourself and enabling creativity, but it’s also a space where many users inadvertently become influenced by others.
Social media platforms push an algorithm of trends, dances or skits that are popular. People tend to copy trends in an effort to stay on users’ screens. This creates an environment that makes it seem like certain trends and ways of thinking are “everywhere.” For example, most of the fashion that goes viral on TikTok is modest, expensive and made up of mostly neutral colors. While this can make for a cute, sleek look, fashion trends perpetuated in the media seem to push uniformity on consumers. I see this same pattern with the art, music and life advice videos that become trendy online. Social media algorithms will not reward originality, and sites instead become places where creativity goes to die.
If everybody acts, dresses and thinks the same then we are left with nothing but repeated ideas, and progress as a society becomes more difficult to make. Our already great power imbalance with bigwig corporations, government officials and rich influencers will continue to grow due and perpetuate a decrease in individuality. Without thinking for ourselves, we stop questioning who is giving us information and why, because if everyone’s doing it, shouldn’t I too? Without creative and out-of-the-box thinking, propaganda often goes unchallenged.
When underlying motives for creating content are pointed out, it’s usually met with the response of “it’s not that deep.” This phrase is actually one of my biggest gripes about the modern idea of being “nonchalant,” which is a whole issue within itself. When you are openly passionate and critical of something considered mainstream, you are labeled as overly sensitive. To me, this is why so many people are hiding themselves away.
Without individuality, we as people will never make history. History is shaped by people who thought outside of the box and did not run with the crowd. We cannot continue to reward conformity if we want a meaningful life and culture. We should be celebrating our differences and the experiences we share naturally.
