Raising Hell, Living Well: Freedom from Influence in a World Where Everyone Wants Something from You (Including Me)

Drawing on an “arsenal of knowledge” from a former career in branding, cultural critic Elefante advocates “living free from influence” in her passionate debut. Broadly defining influence to encompass advertisements, branded content, technology, “social expectations and situational standards,” and more, Elefante argues that “we’ve become so accustomed to living in a world where we are constantly being told or sold that we no longer think it’s odd.” The author homes in on “intentional influence,” which is harnessed by capitalistic systems and the entities they raise up—such as companies and politicians—to make a profit, and argues that recognizing it begins with pinpointing the “tale” society tells, identifying the related story that one tells oneself, and pausing to “see the influences for what they are.” For instance, a reader might recognize that society dictates “accepting trends is part of being human” and identify their internal narrative that “I have to join in,” but realize “I don’t need to follow the trends unless I have decided they are good for me,” whether it’s a juice cleanse or today’s aesthetic shift “toward noncolors and sad neutral everything.” Despite a definition that can feel overly broad, Elefante clearly identifies insidious influences that sometimes fly beneath the radar—for example, while she found a tech cleanse helpful, she points out that the issue is “not the tech itself, but the... expectations that come with it.” This will give even today’s most trend-conscious food for thought. (Oct.)