valley of the dull

I want to preface this by saying that I am NOT an arbiter of taste or style or anything in that realm. It's just difficult not to notice the group of college kids sitting across me in this Starbucks and how they're all dripped like they just stepped out of the same hyper-curated zoomer Pinterest board. But the effect is strangely dull. What's meant to signal individuality ends up reading as imitation or repetition. Playing up the effort to look extremely cool, almost polished, but with zero sauce.

Individuality today feels more like an idea than something we actually see. The concept of being “unique” still exists in language, but in practice, it has become increasingly difficult to identify. These days when you look around, people tend to appear strikingly similar, mirroring each other in style, habits, even behavior. Instead of standing out, most of us fall prey to quiet uniformity.

But this shift isn't accidental. A big part of this comes from how we consume information now. The internet has become the main source of inspiration for almost everything. Before, developing your own style or interests took time and effort. Now, everything is already curated and presented with an endless stream of formed identities. Instead of building individuality, we often just pick from what’s already popular. The speed of it all makes things worse. In seconds, you can find an entire aesthetic or lifestyle to adopt. With so much content constantly being thrown at you, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and just go along with what’s already accepted. What feels like personal choice is often just familiarity and less about instinct, choosing what appears desirable.

And it raises an uncomfortable question: do we actually like something, or have we just been influenced to like it? A lot of things look good online, packaged in a way that begs to be liked, but doesn't really appeal to who we are. That disconnect shows how much our preferences are shaped by what we see.

At the same time, social media has made people more exposed than ever. Personal details that once made someone feel unique are now easily accessible. What we see online is also curated, not complete, which takes away the sense of mystery people used to have. Curiosity fades when there is little left to uncover.

But even recognizing this, it’s almost impossible to be unaffected by it. As I’ve also followed trends and saved inspiration myself, since adopting ideas from online spaces has become almost virtually unavoidable. It's a system that encourages repetition, and resisting it requires deliberate effort. Although it may seem self-congratulatory, it is important to acknowledge this contradiction. Criticizing it while contributing to it highlights how deeply embedded it has become in how we layer ourselves.

Trends aren’t entirely bad as they can help present new perspectives and allow people to discover new interests. The problem is that we all try to seem different while relying on the same sources, which makes individuality feel more like a performance.

What makes it even more challenging is the sheer accessibility of everything, even the mundane. Content is always there, repeating the same ideas. Information, aesthetics, and opinions are constantly within reach .With that much influence, it’s difficult to figure out what actually comes from you. It raises the question of what it really means to be yourself.

The only way forward seems to be making more intentional choices—finding inspiration outside of social media, paying attention to everyday details, and letting preferences develop naturally. And framing what ever we do without demanding instant gratification.

Ultimately, the question is not whether individuality still exists, but whether it can be recognized and maintained in an environment that encourages collective identity.

Because in the end, if we all look and act the same, it’s hard to say what makes any of us truly different.