Think about the last thing you bought and loved. The sweater, the mug, the coffee order you swear by. Now try to explain why you like it, without mentioning that you saw it somewhere first. A lot of people find that harder than expected.
That’s the heart of the feed problem. Much of what feels like personal taste is picked up along the way, and these days, we pick up a lot of it from a screen.
Taste Is Partly Absorbed, Not Chosen
We like to think of personal taste as something we simply have, like a fingerprint. In reality, it’s shaped by whatever we see most. If the same aesthetics, products, and opinions fill your feed every day, they begin to feel like your own, even when you never sat down and decided you liked them.
Familiarity Feels a Lot Like Preference
There’s a well-known idea in psychology called the mere exposure effect: the more often we see something, the more we tend to like it. A look or a product that has been everywhere for weeks can start to feel “so me,” when it’s really just familiar.
Your brain doesn’t always separate the two. Seeing something a lot of times and loving it can feel identical from the inside.
How Feeds Make It Worse
Algorithms show you more of what you already engage with. Creators, meanwhile, copy what’s performing well. Put those two forces together and you get a loop, and the loop explains why so many people end up with the same coffee order, the same living room, and the same “personal” style.
This is how influencer culture and trend culture are built to work. Social media trends spread quickly because sameness is easy to copy and easy to reward. It’s the kind of consumer behaviour that marketers understand well, and that most of us only notice in hindsight.
Signs It’s Happening to You
You don’t need to do anything dramatic to check. A few quiet signals tend to give it away:
- You buy things shortly after seeing them recommended.
- You can’t explain why you like something beyond “everyone has it.”
- Your wardrobe, home, and weekend plans look like a slightly different version of one influencer’s.
If one of those landed a bit close to home, you’re in good company.
Borrowing Isn’t the Enemy
None of this means taste should be built in isolation. Borrowing is how taste develops in the first place. People have always learned from friends, magazines, and mentors, and a good recommendation can open doors you wouldn’t have found alone.
The problem starts when borrowing replaces curiosity, and you stop asking what you actually enjoy. That matters because taste feeds into self identity. What we choose to wear, eat, and surround ourselves with becomes part of how we see ourselves, so it’s worth making sure those choices are really ours.
Questions to Test Your Taste
Next time something catches your eye, try asking:
- Would I still choose this if nobody could see it?
- Did I like it before it was everywhere?
- Does it fit my life, my budget, and my body?
If the honest answer is “I’m not sure,” that’s useful to know. It doesn’t mean you have to give the thing up, just that you’ve learned something about why you wanted it.
Rebuilding Your Own Taste, One Small Step at a Time
You don’t need to delete every app or start over. Small, deliberate changes go a long way:
- Unfollow a few accounts that mostly make you want things.
- Follow people with very different interests from your own.
- Spend time offline in shops, galleries, and markets, where nothing is ranked for you.
- Keep a private list of things you like for reasons you can explain.
- Wait a few days before buying anything that feels like an impulse from your feed.
The Takeaway
Lifestyle trends will keep coming, and your feed will keep serving them up. You don’t have to opt out of anything. The goal is just to notice what’s yours and what’s borrowed, so the things you love are things you actually chose.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. This article does not constitute professional advice of any kind.
