Movies, web series, podcasts, videos by social media influencers, interviews, books, tweets - any form of mass media of today comes with its motive or agenda. Gone are the times when we watch a movie or a series for the sheer entertainment value. Whenever I see a post of an influencer on social media, I find myself asking - "What is this person's motive? What is the narrative he is trying to convey? Is he part of a toolkit?"
A movement promoting a raw vegan lifestyle in the name of "satvic" has an agenda. Someone who concocts masala in a lab also has an agenda when he says - Without processed foods, human life will perish from the planet.
Narratives peddled on social media are deliberately coercing ordinary people to turn their attention toward the direction the peddler(s) want them to.
Which piece of content / news should one read / hear about?
How long should it stay in one's mind?
What is the reaction one's mind should have?
What is the belief system that one should question or challenge?
What is the new belief system that needs to be implanted?
What aspects of personality need to be impacted?
Everything is programmed to a large extent IF we allow ourselves to. Based on one's reactions and further actions, one gets grouped into different identity groups. Without our knowledge or awareness, we get bucketed into these groups and are fed more thoughts and patterns to substantiate our belief that we belong to such a group.
While machines are learning and becoming intelligent, we - the human species - are programmed every minute we are digitally connected.
In such times, it is all the more important to strengthen and empower our intellect and cultivate our unique paradigm of thinking, framing, and questioning narratives and motives. It doesn't mean we mistrust everyone. All we need is an information sieve to filter and control the information coming our way and a deep Shraddha (conviction/faith) in Nature/Intuition/Supreme.