Memes, Media & The Mind: Why You Want What You Want
The recurring question—"Was I born for this kind of work, or is there something else I’m supposed to do?"—keeps surfacing. Sometimes, the mind drifts to wild alternatives: maybe I’m meant to run through forests, travel the world, or unplug and live off the grid. But where do these impulses begin? Are they my thoughts, or echoes of internet noise and modern culture?
When the idea of escaping the grind flashes through my mind—ditching the 9-to-5, vanishing into the woods, or globe-trotting—it almost feels programmed. There’s always a viral travel video, a “find-your-true-self” meme, or stories romanticizing the digital detox. The so-called “wanderlust” doesn’t feel native; it feels planted, algorithmically watered. Maybe it’s not even about what I want—it’s just what everyone else claims is happiness. But if those desires aren’t truly mine, does it make any sense chasing them? Who’s driving this script?
Picture never seeing a beach in media—not in a movie, not in a Snapchat story, not in a reel. Would “going to the beach” ever feature in my list of things-to-do? Doubt it. The concept wouldn’t even exist in my mind. Same for places like Vegas. No video, no image, no fantasy—then no urge. What passes for “my desire” is probably just curated content, echoes of strangers. The internet isn’t only bad; it’s reality-altering—implanting what counts as a good life, shaping goals that appeared as if by magic, but are really imported.
So, what is this kind of thinking? It’s suffer-talk, a philosophical hangover from realizing that what seems authentically mine might already be pre-owned by media contagion and mass psychology. It’s skepticism taken to the bone—a refusal to trust the first impulse, a red-team exercise against self-deception. Is it existential dread, or just clear-eyed pattern-matching in a hacked-up reality?
What’s Really Going On These thoughts reflect existential skepticism: doubting whether any desire or goal can ever be purely intrinsic in a hyper-connected world.
It’s heavy on self-doubt: Not trusting the easy answer, always second-guessing what drives behavior.
It’s a hacker’s mindset: Questioning the OS of consciousness, poking at root processes that spawn motivations.
Is It Your Thought? Or Culture’s? If desire is seeded by exposure, then most goals are secondhand—picked up from elsewhere and mistaken for personal destiny.
The “original thought” is rare. Environments script wants by controlling what’s visible, normal, or celebrated.
You can’t wish for what you don’t know exists. Novelty depends on memes and context, not just free-floating mind-states.
Should You Act On These Imported Desires? Don’t trust inspiration until it’s stress-tested. Ask: If nobody else did this, would it still matter?
Every pursuit—woods, beaches, unexplored cities—needs to be put through personal friction and utility. Does it stand up after you strip away media romance?
Sometimes, lean into the imported desire just to see if it delivers something genuine. Sometimes drop it to test if it ever returns, unforced.