Influenced? Who me?

As a current student of the domains of Marketing and Management Information Systems, I have been thinking a lot lately about influence. Who influences us as individuals and who are the key influencers in society? How much are we truly the makers of our own destiny (i.e. we decide what we do, what we think, etc.), and how much is what’s given to us externally, either from our parents, our culture, our religion, our friends or our education?

In terms of our value system, most of us would probably think that we have been primarily influenced by our parents and our culture – either positively or negatively. If we had a difficult or dysfunctional upbringing, we might react to this by wanting to act in all the ways we didn’t see as children. Or sadly, we might repeat the mistakes of our parents, becoming the person we hoped we’d never be.  

Why is it then, that none of us seems to think that we are influenced by the media in general or advertisers in particular? Why do we think, for example, that our perception of our own beauty hasn’t been shaped by the pictures we see in Seventeen Magazine or Sports Illustrated? Why do we think that we are smarter than advertisers, more aware of the ways that we might be manipulated?

It could be as simple as the fundamental attribution theory. This psychological theory states that when things go our way, we attribute this success to our own skill or ability. When things don’t go our way, we tend to blame external influences for the failure. “It’s all their fault; if only they hadn’t made it so difficult.” Do we do the same thing when it comes to being influenced? Perhaps our natural tendency is to think that we decide everything knowingly and intentionally. If we feel bad about the way we look, we think it’s because we are actually overweight or out of shape. If we feel better about ourselves because we’re carrying the latest Coach bag, we think it’s because the Coach bag is just nicer, prettier, more classy.

The challenge for those of us receiving a business education is to see the ways that we are subject to the many forces which influence us. We are heavily influenced by television, the media and the internet. Especially as a woman, I am very aware that there are many expectations placed upon me from these sources – be thin, be successful, have white teeth, no wrinkles, wear the right clothes…the list goes on. 

As we grow older and (I hope) more aware of our own biases, opinions and beliefs, we can acknowledge where we are being influenced and we want to stand firm in our own choices. To understand that each of us is, to some extent, a product of the influencers around us, doesn’t make us weak or stupid. Yes, it makes us a product of 2013, but we’re all in that boat!