Hello Reader,

I heard a new term in a podcast, "parasocial relationship," and suddenly it was in three articles, two conversations, and a thread I scrolled past that evening.

My first thought: This must be a trend.

My second thought: Maybe the algorithm is listening.

The truth is more straightforward and more unsettling: my brain just handed control of my attention to whoever planted that seed first.

That's the Frequency Illusion, also called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. Once you learn something new, your brain spots it everywhere—not because it's suddenly more common, but because your attention has been hijacked. The world didn't change. Your filter did.

This mental model is part of Re:Mind, our toolkit for clearer thinking in a world designed to hijack your mind. We reached $8.5K on Kickstarter and unlocked both stretch goals. If you haven't joined yet, late pledges are still open.

Why Use It

Attention isn't neutral. Once something enters your awareness through an ad, a headline, or a conversation, your brain automatically scans for it, amplifies it, and treats it as more significant than it is. Advertisers know this. Propagandists know this. Anyone trying to shape your behavior knows this. The Frequency Illusion helps you see the mechanism at work.

When to Use It

That feeling of something being 'everywhere' is your signal to ask whether it's genuinely common or just newly visible to you. Use this model anytime something feels suddenly inescapable:

• When you notice the same brand, idea, or talking point appearing "everywhere"
• When making decisions based on what feels trending or unanimous
• When you catch yourself thinking, "everyone is talking about this"

It's especially beneficial when evaluating political messaging, product marketing, or social movements—any context where controlling your attention equals controlling your choices.

How to Use It

In The Truman Show, Truman begins to notice the same extras cycling through his neighborhood, as well as the same radio dialogue repeating. The patterns were always there; he just started paying attention. Once his suspicion is planted, he sees the manipulation everywhere. The Frequency Illusion works the same way: once your awareness shifts, patterns that were always present suddenly become impossible to miss.

Here's how to use this model to maintain mental sovereignty:

• Track your triggers: When something feels "everywhere," pause and ask: Did I just learn this, or is it genuinely prevalent?
• Audit your inputs: Notice who benefits from you noticing this thing repeatedly.
• Question the consensus: If everyone seems aligned on a narrative, check whether you're seeing actual agreement or just confirmation bias at work.
• Close mental loops intentionally: Decide which ideas deserve your sustained attention, and which you're amplifying by accident.

Next Steps

Write down one thing you've seen "everywhere" recently. Then search its actual mention frequency across platforms. Compare the data to your felt sense of its prevalence. The gap is the illusion at work.

Where It Came From

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (frequency illusion) was named in 1994 when someone noticed the German political group mentioned twice in a short span and posted about it. The cognitive mechanisms (selective attention and confirmation bias) were studied throughout the 20th century, but the combined effect wasn't widely recognized until the internet made pattern-spotting easier to document. Marketers and psychologists now use it to explain why viral content feels bigger than it is and how narratives gain perceived momentum.

Thinking clearly in the modern attention economy means recognizing when your perception is being shaped not by reality, but by whoever got there first.

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Until next time, keep questioning. Your mind is the last territory you truly control.

Think Independently, JC

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