Unfortunately I'm not sure people are even equipped to trust their own feelings anymore. Even in many spaces where people do have agency of how they're designed

Unfortunately I'm not sure people are even equipped to trust their own feelings anymore. Even in many spaces where people do have agency of how they're designed I've noticed a marked convergence in tastes and preferences over the years. We used to call it "Pinterest aesthetic" and now it's an Instagram or TikTok aesthetic but so many of the choices people make in lighting, styles of furniture, potted plants, and so on themselves feel kind of generic. Often like a cheap imitation of an aesthetic that predominates online. I don't know if this is a consequence of algorithmic recommendations tuning peoples' aesthetic sensibilities all in the same direction or if it's filtering down to the products on offer to where their options are all constrained. But it's depressing nevertheless. Part of it could just be an age thing. As an elder-millennial I came of age during the peak of vintage/thrifting hipster culture. There was a pretty vibrant spirit of mixing and matching and putting things together from myriad influences before it all got blended into a generic paste of flannel and thick-rimmed eyeglasses.