Individualism is a philosophy that emphasizes the intrinsic moral value of each human. Individualism emphasizes the individual’s use of freedom and self-guided decision-making. Do we necessarily hinder our own creative brains by being mimics and posing? No, and here’s why.
Everyone preaches the value of “being yourself,” but this is an easier idealized than actuality. We are fortunate that most of us have phones, but constant global access to media can impact one’s sense of self. Media influences style, music, culture, and behavior. However, ultimately impacts decisions that are motivated by the need to fit in rather than trusting your own choices.
“What shoes are we deciding to buy for this upcoming school year, guys?” or “What water bottle brand are we showing up to school with?” are the type of questions I saw infect TikTok over the summer, and honestly, I couldn’t care less. Why do we want to look and act the same way? Why is it so important to reach the standards that social media has set for us? I thought we were taught not to be impulsively influenced or insecure by what we see on social media.. However, I suppose the ultimate representation of uniqueness in modern society is simply digital and mimetic algorithms.
Additionally, when participating in a collective algorithm, people tend to modify their behavior and personality to “fit in” with a particular group. Assimilation is a good word to describe this. We have all, at some point, seen people change their behavior when interacting with a certain someone. It is difficult to be yourself, but people shouldn’t perceive this as a green light to pretend to be someone they’re not. It’s a hard reality to accept that not everyone will accept you in their lives, but that’s life; you just need to move on and find your tribe.
The communication through all digital sources, such as TikTok, Instagram, and any other popular social media platform, aimed specifically at Generation Z, creates difficulties for creativity. The most infuriating aspect of the epidemic is that, in their formative years, young people are actively altering themselves to meet unreasonable standards and seek validation. In middle school, reflecting upon my own formative years, I don’t remember caring as deeply for specific brands, styles, or behaviors, at least until the freshman year of high school.
We can also attribute the profound impact on younger generations to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 left no choice but for people to become more immersed in technology and platforms. Whether it was a positive or negative utilization, younger people were still impacted. COVID-19 made it impossible to determine the right amount of attention being given to social media platforms, as they were the major source of entertainment for the majority of us.
Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get in on the conga line; however, the circumstances would be different when younger generations are actively harmed or making negative decisions based on unrealistic standards. Parents can only do so much to prevent their children from being influenced by social media, because, regardless, a child is going to want to follow the trend, whether they see it online or see their peers participating in the collective algorithms. The solution to these concerns isn’t putting a stop to these behaviors, but rather teaching the younger generation to navigate identity development through a critical lens.
