Thoughts Formed from the Images Shown to Us: We Are Never Free or Unbiased

Thoughts Formed from the Images Shown to Us: We Are Never Free or Unbiased

From the moment we open our eyes each morning, we are flooded with images — billboards, social media feeds, television screens, advertisements, curated posts, and carefully staged photographs. These images don’t just occupy space on screens or walls; they take residence in our minds, shaping our perceptions, values, desires, and even our sense of self.

The truth is unsettling: our thoughts are rarely our own. They are formed, bent, and colored by what we see. And what we see is almost always chosen for us.

The Illusion of Choice

We often believe we’re thinking freely — forming opinions through logic and introspection. But if we examine the origins of our thoughts more closely, a different picture emerges. Why do certain body types seem more desirable? Why do we associate specific colors with gender? Why do we subconsciously trust faces that resemble certain archetypes we've seen in movies?

These thoughts didn’t arise in isolation. They were seeded by repetition — by the images we’ve been shown since childhood. The "free will" we believe in often operates within the tight boundaries set by media, culture, and algorithmic curation.

The Biased Mirror

Images don’t just reflect the world — they construct it. A single photograph can reinforce stereotypes, instill fear, or evoke aspiration. A news outlet's choice of what to show and what to omit shapes how we view entire nations, communities, or social issues. A beauty brand’s campaign subtly instructs us on what is considered “flawed” and what must be “fixed.”

Even when we reject certain narratives, we are reacting to them — still ensnared. It’s not just about buying into an idea, but about living in reaction to a visual framework we never chose to begin with.

The Silent Puppet Strings

Much of this manipulation is silent. We don’t notice how mood lighting in a political ad makes a candidate appear “strong.” We don’t catch how an Instagram influencer’s morning routine plants seeds of inadequacy or aspiration. These visual cues bypass our conscious defenses and settle deep, forming the architecture of thought.

And even when we think we’re skeptical — that we see through the marketing or propaganda — we are still playing on a stage we didn’t build.