Have I been influenced, or is this actually me?

Answering the simple question of what you truly like has become harder than it used to be. The internet has reshaped how we form opinions, and algorithmic feeds on streaming, social and shopping platforms now surround us with tailored suggestions that can feel indistinguishable from our own choices.

Where once we encountered culture through community, geography, mass and specialist media and random discoveries, today much of it arrives through personalised recommendation systems. Platforms use data from our activity and that of others to serve content designed to keep us engaged — from similar-sounding tracks on Spotify to repeat appearances from the same influencers on Instagram, or targeted results on e‑commerce sites.

That relentless personalisation has a flattening effect: it promotes the most accessible, ambient and least disruptive culture, leaving little room for genuine surprise or slow, private taste formation.

algorithmic feeds, personalisation, recommendation systems, streaming platforms, social platforms, ecommerce, spotify, instagram, influencers, taste formation