We like to believe we are the masters of our own lives-free to choose what we wear, eat, watch, believe and buy. We cherish this notion of "free will" as a cornerstone of modern identity. But what if much of our freedom is an illusion?
What if we’re not as free as we think, but are subtly manipulated by consumerism, advertising and propaganda that shape our desires and beliefs without us even realizing it?
The Machinery Behind Our Choices:
Walk into any supermarket. Hundreds of brands scream for your attention. Why do you reach for a certain shampoo or cereal box? Is it really because it's "the best"-or because you've been subconsciously programmed by years of branding, slogans and images that equate that product with beauty, health or success?
Advertisements are not just selling products-they're selling aspirations. They tell us that owning the latest phone, wearing designer shoes or driving a luxury car will make us happier, more desirable, more complete.
And we buy into it-literally. But in truth, these desires are rarely born from within. They are engineered.
Consumerism: A New Religion:
Consumerism has become a modern faith. It tells us that meaning, identity and happiness lie in accumulation. “I shop, therefore I am” is the new mantra. Instead of asking who we are, we’re encouraged to ask what we own.
Our festivals have turned into shopping seasons.
Our milestones are celebrated with purchases. Even acts of self-care or environmentalism are packaged and sold to us.
Capitalism has co-opted every corner of our lives, turning rebellion into a fashion trend and self-expression into marketable niches.
Propaganda In Disguise:
Propaganda isn’t just about wartime posters or state-run media. Today, it’s baked into our digital lives. Social media algorithms feed us content that reinforces our existing beliefs, trapping us in echo chambers. News channels selectively show events to fit narratives that align with their political or corporate interests.
We’re constantly nudged through likes, shares, memes, influencers and tailored ads-not just on what to buy, but on what to believe.
This creates a dangerous illusion: we feel informed, engaged and opinionated-yet most of our thoughts are recycled ideas that have been injected into us by unseen hands.
The Myth Of Free Will:
This isn't to say we have no choice. But true freedom requires awareness. If your choices are shaped by manipulation, can you really call them free?
Consider this: if from childhood you've been surrounded by messages that equate success with wealth, beauty with fairness, love with gifting diamonds, then even your dreams may not be your own. Your ambitions, preferences and fears could all be the result of a meticulously crafted cultural programming.
Free will, in its truest form, demands effort. It means questioning the source of our desires, unlearning what society rewards us for believing, and making decisions not out of habit or peer pressure—but out of conscious, critical thought.
Breaking The Spell:
So how do we wake up?
Slow down and observe. Pay attention to why you want something. Who benefits from that desire?
Limit exposure to manipulative media. Curate your digital intake like your diet.
Question cultural norms. What have you accepted without ever examining?
Reclaim silence and boredom. That's where original thoughts begin to surface.
Support authenticity. Engage with people, content, and ideas that challenge rather than comfort.
Conclusion:
We are not inherently free in a world where consumerism, advertisement and propaganda operate with such subtlety and sophistication. But we can reclaim some of that freedom-not by unplugging entirely, but by becoming more aware, more sceptical and more intentional.
Free will isn’t a default setting. It’s a discipline. And it starts with the courage to ask: Whose life am I really living?
The article above is AI-generated
1. I proudly use my latest mobile, feeling so ‘smart’ while doing so. 2. I keep surfing social media, and feel so great flashing my status. 3. I love binging on OTT platforms, have seen all famous shows!
4. I frequently go to coffee-shops, love eating out and feel ‘Aha! My Life!’
5. I keep my eyes on sales and deals online and buy things cleverly.
6. I use branded clothes, cosmetics, snacks and feel proud of my choices.
7. I aim to take all above to next level, buying expensive and enjoying myself.
Smart & Intelligent- My foot!
Here is what is ACTUALLY happening, but read ahead only if you have the courage to see realities and have a hard look at yourself.
1. I’ve succumbed like a weakling to the mindless trend of buying expensive mobiles, without bothering how I’m losing thousands of rupees and for WHAT.
2. I’m more busy impressing people and being impressed by them, all by show-offs and actually feeling terribly insecure within and with my life.
3. All those new OTT releases, TV shows are robbing me of my time and life more than my money and are making me physically also weak and frequently sick.
4. I feel ‘smart’ sipping that coffee or going to fine dining or ordering food deliveries in a snap, but actually I’m a victim of propaganda and glamour.
5. I am made to believe that ‘I buy cleverly’ whereas all those online retails are laughing at me- how easy it is to trap me, take away my money.
6. I connect my identity with things and the brands I use. Sometimes I also wear brand-name printed clothes and advertise for them like an unpaid servant. Smart?
7. And the societal environment has gone so deep into me, almost like brainwashed me, that my only goal is to buy more, consume more!
Have we taken birth on this planet to earn and then spend money to consume, eat, drink, binge and swallow all things lifelong? And then be sick, pay hefty medical bills and eventually die miserably in a hospital? Is that the life we want to keep living? No worthy dreams, no adding meaning in day-to-day life and no using our own common sense?
What does the HUGE market want? What is the purpose of attractive advertisements? What is the aim of constant promotions from every direction we set our eyes to? Does it require a high intellect to understand this? Do we really keep eating chips, popcorn, fried foods with our choice? Do we keep on guzzling diet soda, smoking cigarettes, attending ‘drink’ parties, ordering cakes on every occasion, watching every new OTT release and so on, by CHOICE? Do we even know we are addicted to so many things and are helpless?
Think again. Think deeply. Try to question. Be sceptical. Understand conspiracies by the faceless amalgamation of companies and corporations.
Check how we worry about living daily life in the eyes of others and thereby throwing our own life into garbage bin.
We have one life and so let’s wake up and value it.
Sanjiv Shah
Mentor & Author
Founder Member, Oasis Movement
Alive Newsletter/ Magazine03 August 2025
Year 18, Issue 20
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