The following is a transcript of a conversation I had with a friend about mimetical desire and Instagram :
Me: Girard’s idea of mimetic desire explains a lot about Instagram culture. Kids don’t just want the clothes influencers wear—they want to be like those influencers. That’s why they’ll buy into the same brands, the same style.
my friend: Sure, but isn’t it more complex than that? Mimetic desire isn’t just about copying. People don’t imitate blindly—they adapt and transform what they see. A kid watching an influencer might dress similarly, but how they interpret that style depends on their environment—friends, family, and even other videos they’ve seen.
- True, I get that. A spectator doesn’t just copy; they reinterpret based on their own world. But that doesn’t prove my point wrong—it actually supports it. The idea of mimetic desire still applies, but it’s working in a more dynamic way.
- Fair. But what about the kids who watch cynically? They know influencers are performing, yet they still engage. Doesn’t that awareness weaken the impact?
- I don’t think so. Even if they engage ironically, the repetition of what they see will hit harder subconsciously. The influencers still shape what they want, even if they’re laughing at it on the surface.
- That’s a good point—subconscious impact is powerful. But here’s where it gets tricky: technology is changing the game. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok don’t just show us influencers—they use algorithms to amplify specific desires. It’s not just about what we want anymore; it’s about what technology wants us to want.
- Absolutely. The algorithms are a game-changer. They mediate and amplify these desires so much that it’s almost like they create a whole new kind of mimetic desire.
- Right, but here’s my question—if these desires are so mediated by technology, are they even authentic anymore? Or are we just living in this loop of hyper-mimetic desires, disconnected from anything real?
- That’s deep. Maybe the line between authentic and mediated desires doesn’t even exist anymore. It’s all intertwined—what we want, what we think we want, and what the algorithm tells us to want.
- And that’s why Girard’s concept still holds up—but in a way, it’s bigger now. It’s not just about mimicking people. It’s about navigating a world where desires are constantly shaped by everything around us, especially technology.
- Exactly. Girard gave us the foundation, but in the Instagram age, we’re writing the next chapter.