In Chapter Two of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, we’re introduced to a chilling practice of conditioning from infancy. Infants are subjected to electric shocks and loud noises while recordings play, instilling an aversion not only to books and nature but also fostering divisions between different social classes. For instance, Beta, Gamma, and Alpha children are conditioned to develop biases against one another, reinforcing the rigid caste system and ensuring societal stability.
Fast forward to today, and we find echoes of this conditioning in how algorithms shape our online experiences. Social media platforms, often working hand-in-hand with powerful entities, subtly influence what we see, what we believe, and how we interact with each other. The constant stream of tailored content, along with discouragement of independent research, mirrors that kind of subconscious programming. And just as Huxley’s society used conditioning to divide and control, today’s algorithms can stoke division and deepen societal rifts, often without us even realizing it.
In both worlds, the result is a population conditioned to accept its place, limiting independent thought and reinforcing the status quo. It’s a powerful reminder of how important it is to remain vigilant and critical in our consumption of information.