The Illusion of Taste
How to Cultivating Real Taste in the Modern Era
“These days, what people really do seek is having—or looking like having—a good taste.”
This is the idea that struck me in the past week when I spoke with one of my lifelong friends—someone I’ve known since childhood.
It seems that the idea of algorithmic culture is not just my personal interpretation after all—the effect appears to extend into something broader than disruptive attention and bombarded information, but also into the idea that:
It’s made personal taste matter more than ever.
You can instantly test that assumption of mine in a very simple manner—open your IG, then scroll through the Discover section for a few minutes, and you will see what I mean.
Instagram, like many major social media platforms, is driven by algorithms with the objective of “making users stay as long as possible”—and nothing is more effective at doing that than this timeless rule of media: “Give people what they want.”
What you see through the feed is feedback that IG traces back to your behavior, curated into something “similar” to it. The result is that you begin to develop an ideology, a visual sense, an AESTHETIC—which gradually takes shape into your “taste.” (One that, more often than not, people will also reconfirm by curating their own social accounts through visuals and words.)
The question is—are you really sure that this so-called “taste,” cultivated through IG feeds, Pinterest boards, and YouTube playlists, is building something truly unique through individuality… or is it just another byproduct of the algorithm?
Because these platforms don’t just reflect what you like; they quietly train it—feeding you patterns, narrowing your options, and rewarding certain choices over others. You end up feeling like you’re expressing individuality while actually selecting from a refined menu that millions of others are also drawing from.
While the preferences and curation you get from these platforms are not fake, they are also not fully independent.
The reality is—the more polished and consistent your taste appears, the more likely it is that it aligns perfectly with what the algorithm already knows how to amplify.
So the question is—is it possible to develop an actually “great taste” for yourself without relying on the algorithm? And is it even something that matters, in depth and essence, to life in the first place?
Ladies and gentlemen, if that is what you’re curious about, then allow me to introduce you to the ideology of “Taste”—especially in the new millennium, and why it matters more than ever.
