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Are you in a cult? Even without knowing you, I know the answer is yes. Everybody is in one to some degree.
Cults exist in politics, too. We saw this week what happens when somebody like Elon Musk goes against a popular culture narrative and questions Ukraine’s strategy to defeat Russia.
But before we dive into that, let’s talk about the definition of a cult.
The definition is a “sect generally is considered to be extreme or false under the guidance of an authoritarian or charismatic leader.”
And the word cult derives from the Latin word ‘cultus’ which is a noun meaning “training education, adoration to cultivate … adoration or love for.”
I was thinking about various cults because I was pondering the term “pop culture.” ‘Pop’ stems from the word popular and culture obviously has the word ‘cult’ in it for a reason. More specifically, I was thinking about social media influencers.
No matter how strong you think you are against the wave of influencers, they are to some degree influencing your thoughts or what you buy. You might see something on Instagram and think, “Oh, I love this. I have to buy this really quickly.” It happens to me with make-up and fashion all the time.
Personally, I would say if I’m in any cult, it’s probably the fitness cult. I love to watch girls who are working out on Instagram so I can copy them when I’m on the road. My point is that social media was designed for you to find your cults — so to speak.
But the problem with pop culture is that it can influence you to hold more extreme views.
