"Something is going around."

There are two kinds of viruses.

The one we are all familiar with is the biological kind. Everyone who has experienced a cold or the flu understands the value of washing their hands.

The second isn’t as obvious. And that is an ideavirus. It’s why people wear distressed, worn-out jeans, get Botox, or eat spicy peppers.

What’s interesting is how an ideavirus spreads.

Before the internet, ideaviruses did spread, but not as quickly or as instantaneously as they do today. Think of the witch trials, tulip mania, and the spread of nationalism. Ideaviruses are ancient.

And it makes me wonder: How can we be less susceptible to these things?

Today, with the use of social media and AI-generated content, a constant stream of exposure isn’t making us less susceptible. But walling ourselves off from technology isn’t the answer either.

I keep coming back to this idea: Are you the customer or are you the product? Perhaps that is a clue to how vulnerable one is.