THE CONFORMIST
I have a friend, a good friend; when I talk to him, I have two-three sentences to explain a concept. One word over and I see the thought bubble springing forth. It’s a good reminder to me to GET TO THE POINT. For those who need a read that’s “short and sweet”, enjoy.
Social media has done a pristine job of molding the minds of this generation. No need to feel guilty though, this mind molding is cyclical to all generations of the “free world.” If you’ve never been out with a grandparent and they mentioned needing to finish watching a “program”, then you’re too young. They wasn’t even hiding that they were programming back then. Everyone was just happy to be entertained. I guess the cycle of just wanting to be entertained has continued on the citizens end as well, shame on us all. There was a study done by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The study desired to better understand two different scenarios: conformity improving group performance in stable, predictable environments; conformity hindering adaptability in temporarily variable environments (Abofol et al., 2023). Basically, people will agree to work together more in a routine (controlled) environment; not like lab rats or anything. People will act more individually when circumstances are unknown and can quickly change. This willingness to align beliefs, opinions and behaviors with the majority group are the actions of the conformist.
Social media is the majority group of our generation; and social influence is a form of currency. “Individuals are more inclined to share a social reality with in-group members and, consequently, foster a greater propensity for conformity (Ušto et al. 2019). Identification with the group emerges as a pivotal determinant of conformity pressure: the less salient or important the group is, the less likely conformity becomes” (Capuano & Chekroun, 2024). According to GlobalNewswire, global marketing influencer spending is slated to hit $94 billion dollars in 2029. Companies have realized that to manufacture consent, they don’t need to reach everyone, they just form brand deals with the “in-group”, the influencers of society. Pressure continues to shift to doing things for “the greater good”. It’s now commonplace that influencers are leading the charge to convince you of what your “new norms” should be. There’s a new social contract that we have agreed to, where just being online we are being steered into acceptable and non acceptable ways to live. This is the new reality. This is the conformist world
We have some questions to ask ourselves. Who drives the direction of the group? What is the cost of being an individual in a collectivist society? Is truth validated in a majorities consensus? Are you willing to follow the whole at the detriment of yourself, your well-being? There are some benefits to conforming, in their context. However, this site only aims to spreading the message of conforming our souls to their God-given callings.
Growing up, when you got in trouble with your friends, the consensual parental question that would follow would be; “if your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you?” You begrudgingly answered, “no”. If that same question was asked today, the response would be, “well, how many friends have jumped?”
“Fear and catastrophe fortify the need to identify with a strong leader... They lead to the herding together of people... against dissent and individualism.”
— Joost A.M. Meerloo, The Rape of the Mind
