Are we manipulated?

"O simple things, where have you gone?" Keane has sung these lines in a very famous song. Alas! These lines also portray a very realistic image of what it's like to live in the 21st century.

I live in a digital world. What happens from North America to Australia comes into my feed automatically, depending on my interests, thanks to the advanced algorithms. WhatsApp notifications have started to determine my course of action as my friends post their well-beings on Instagram and WhatsApp statuses. It seems normal, apparently, doesn't it?

But, in fact, it is not a normal thing. Instead, it's a new normal. The twenty-first century dawned with a banger: the notorious internet. The industries changed, the economies evolved, and the businesses transmogrified dramatically. And a new wave came, sweeping away almost all the old and stereotypical ways of living. The rise of Gen Zs, like their predecessor generations, introduced new values, good or bad—that is another debate—giving rise to a new alternative for everything previously considered cliché. But this time, it was unlike anything before. Health, entertainment, education, learning, physical sports, relationships, friendships, and personal growth have become drastically more complex.

Peer pressure, brand consumption, staying up-to-date with the latest trends, being aesthetic and efforts towards being perceived as cool, reading books just to stay relevant in the peer discussions, following celebrities, and last but not least, showing or uploading on social platforms personal and very private emotions, feelings, or profound thoughts, are the gifts of this century. These are the things that define what we want to do. Apparently, they control and manipulate us. I wonder if any child of the present time in any corner of the world wants to be a farmer or do anything that does not involve catching people's eyes. He or she is steered by peer pressure in many aspects of his or her life. As per the Australian parenting website, this peer pressure can be positive and negative as well.

My summer vacations are nearing an end, and soon I will be attending classes at my alma mater. But this question has started bouncing in my mind: do I have enough clothes to wear? Should I buy some new ones? Although I don't need any, I don't remember the time when I really needed clothes. I only remember shopping for religious festivals or family functions, and even, most of the time, when a famous brand is on sale. What a beautiful sight it is when you are roaming through the market and actually get your eyes on one of the famous brands that is giving 70% off. That's alluring, right? Yes, it is what's called consumer behavior. Brands do that. They manipulate the mindset. They make us feel outdated and left-behind just because we are wearing shirts and trousers that are not trending worldwide, but they did trend a few months ago.

Staying healthy is one of the most fundamental things in life. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, obesity rates were low. Food was mostly organic (if not, then less laboratory-based in comparison with this century), but the fast food industry evolved thanks to the idea of a franchisee model of business. Soon, the industry evolved into a global market with strong competitors like McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, and many others. Eating at these restaurants has become a trend to prove your point in society. But, when obesity rates went high, somebody (supposedly) with a genius mind idealized Arnold Schwarzenegger and started proliferating the idea of going to the gym. Soon, it became a fashion too. The majority of people go to the gym not because they want to stay healthy; instead, they will have to show off something. Biceps, calf, thighs, personal record—these are the things worth taking a snap of and sharing with your ex. This is the market where protein powders come in. Peer pressure, consumer behavior, and the urge to be lauded by others are some impetuses that manipulate somebody or the majority of the guys to go to the gym.

You might wonder, What's the solution? See, the problem is not new. The complex is new. But the problem of adjusting according to society to appease people has always existed. We cannot isolate ourselves from everything, and we should not, because it will be a foolish thing to uninstall all the social apps: Spotify, Amazon, Ali Baba, Netflix, and YouTube (ironically, which we can't uninstall now). Instead, we should be looking for the meaning of life. We should do things that actually add value to our lives. There is no need to buy the Macbeth play and read Shakespeare if it fails to have an impact on your life. Instead, we should learn to say no to things that we don't actually want to do, that we don't really need to wear, or that, in some way, are of secondary importance. Technology is not the issue. How we are affected by its use is the major issue. It is trivial what society thinks of us. The new ways and the old ways will always be changing. It is we who should not be manipulated by these changes.