Category: Types of Influences

[TL;DR: The truth to how cultural influence – celebrities, pop-culture, savvy marketing and profit-driven brands – have led the rebrand for drugs, cultivating greater acceptance of drugs and fuelling misperceptions of the harm of drugs. The key takeaway? Be mindful and aware of how culture can shape your views and cultivate tolerant attitudes towards drugs.]

You probably have hummed a song about drugs or watched content that openly shows consumption and glorifies the enjoyment of various types of drugs. You may even have heard that certain types of drugs can bring about benefits – whether it is enhancing your experience at a rave or helping aid sleep. Globally, drugs have undergone an extensive rebrand, all thanks to the power of cultural influence. How did drugs go from criminal to even a celebrated culture in some parts of the world?

The Power of Celebrity

(Source: Link)

Many musicians, actors, and social media influencers openly use or promote some form of drugs. Some have even launched their own cannabis brand businesses; making drug abuse seem glamorous, creative, and rebellious all while profiting from it at the same time. But the reality is that all of this is planned and purposely framed to challenge perceptions and distort the truth about drugs. 

Beyond normalising and glamorising drugs, why cultural influence can be exceptionally powerful is in how it is shared. Music, celebrities, movies etc are all cultural influences that are enjoyed with other people, they provide an identity and a sense of connectedness. These influences are all around us and can gradually shape one’s view of reality. It makes them perceive the real world in a way that mirrors what is seen in media, especially in this new age of rapid social media consumption.

We can all identify with having specific friendships or social groups that are built on a common love and interest for a particular type of cultural influence. What happens when that cultural influence promotes drugs as a certain lifestyle? How does that affect social groups and individual views? It is not easy and takes courage to go against the grain.

The Reality Check

Cultural influence is all around us. And as wider legalisation of certain types of drugs and pro-drug narratives gain traction globally, drugs may one day be positioned as a lifestyle choice. The power of cultural influence can turn something undesirable into something desirable, distorting views and encouraging more permissive attitudes towards drugs. This can ultimately lead to openness to try when we lose sight of the real damaging consequences of drug abuse. No matter how “cool” or acceptable drug abuse may seem, it causes harmful consequences that are far from glamorous. Should we exercise greater caution in the media we consume? 

[TL;DR: What type of friend are you? Is there a problem with unconditional support as a friend? How does your peer personality affect others when it comes to negative influence of drugs? We experienced The Birthday Party – one of three immersive escape rooms at The Trip: What Happened in Larspura – and walked away with new thoughts about friendships. And the kind of friend I’d like to be.]

The Peer Ecosystem

Ever wondered about the different types of friends we want to have in our friendship circles? Maybe there’s a ride-or-die friend who gives unconditional support in all situations, or the social butterfly who is the life of the party. Maybe there’s also the social connector who keeps everyone together, one who observes from the sidelines, or even the friend who’s free-spirited and never imposes or judges? Got all these friend-types in your life? Check. Now, which category do you fall into and what would you do in situations where your friends are under pressure to engage in harmful activities? 

A recent experience at an escape room got my friends and I talking about the different types of friends that we have and how sometimes our friends can unintentionally harm us, as they navigate different influences and situations.

The Experience 

Set in the context of a party, we had to interact with four friends of a fictional character Ben who abused drugs (imprinted with an otter) and was ill. Through our conversations with these friends, we had to uncover the real story that started Ben’s drug addiction and the roles each of the friends played in leading Ben towards drugs. Whether it was a friend who actively encouraged Ben to experiment and try new things in the name of fun, or a friend that helped cultivate Ben’s permissive attitude towards drugs through inaction or “unconditional” support, their impact on Ben’s life were evident as gameplay progressed. The ride-or-die, unconditional friend Kevin, inadvertently enabled Ben in every way even as Ben consumed the illicit otter pill. JJ, the respectful observer, continued to maintain distance and boundaries even as Ben had his first taste of drugs and continued to watch silently as he abused it without intervening. Similarly, the social glue Ash, prioritised keeping peace within the group over the health and life of Ben, while May, the social butterfly of the group even encouraged Ben to experiment all in the pursuit of fun.

When the Rubber Hits the Road, What Type of Friend Am I?

Each of these peer personas and the social setting we were immersed in at The Birthday Party demonstrated to us the complexities and challenges in speaking up against drugs and protecting our peers in these high-risk situations. From the perspective of the different characters, each of them had different motivations and reasons for acting the way they did. 

Intervening and speaking up is not easy: after all, it does not guarantee that we can protect our friends and convince them against consuming drugs. This could be especially difficult in group social settings, where the action of speaking up or intervening could be seen as undesirable and going against the group. 

In the face of a situation like what happened at The Birthday Party, how then should we act? Should we hold ourselves back from intervening when our friends engage in harmful behaviour?

Let’s think about it differently. Youths in Singapore feel a high sense of belonging to their peers. This means that, even as young people, each of us has immense power to influence – whether this is positive influence or negative influence. We can have the ability to exert this power and influence to help  our peers out of bad situations. Though we can’t control how others respond, the possibility that our peers might accept our guidance means we can make a positive difference by using our influence thoughtfully to protect them. Speaking up in these challenging situations could prevent our friends from abusing drugs and protect them from the lifelong harm that comes with drug abuse. In the case of The Birthday Party, imagine what Ben’s life could have been, if each of his friends had chosen to speak up and dissuade him from abusing the drug. If each peer persona had acted otherwise – leaning into and embracing their power to influence – Ben’s life trajectory could have been completely different.

While Ben is a fictional character from the escape room experience, the story mirrors very real experiences suggesting that this happens more often than we think. 

What would you do if you were one of Ben’s friends? Would you step up to convince Ben not to consume the drug? 

[TL;DR: A reflection from a university student on the power of influences and how a recent experience at an escape room The Trip: What Happened in Larspura unlocked new perspectives when it came to drugs and her value to stay open-minded.] 

University felt like a huge step-up. The campus was huge, cross-faculty learning was invigorating, and some personalities were larger than life. Having settled in, at 21, my resolution was to be fearless and to live fully. A friend that I had gone on exchange programme with signed us up for an experience at “Ben’s Brain”, one of three immersive escape rooms that ran at the Stamford Arts Centre. I left this experience with renewed perspectives.

A Journey Through a Fractured Mind

(Learn more here: uninfluenced.sg/events/the-trip-what-happened-in-larspura)

My visit to Ben’s Brain started out as a playful experience but I soon realised the escape room was much more than a game, it was a deep dive and reflection on all the vulnerabilities we share.  It was a game designed to reveal how our brains take in a variety of influences we experience – and how one’s views and actions might change in the face of new experiences when we lose sight of what we truly value.   

Stepping into Ben’s Brain felt like entering a surreal labyrinth of puzzles and personal history. The escape room’s design was clever: it challenged participants to witness and piece together Ben’s life and in doing so solve four distinct puzzles that represented four different parts of the brain. I loved the frontal lobe game which was modelled after the higher-level cognitive functions such as decision-making that our frontal lobe engages in.  The decision-making game underscored how easily our choices can be hijacked. The different puzzles in the room, reflected the real-life impact that influences have on us and how they can change our views to be receptive to drugs. As we scrambled to piece together clues, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to my own experiences. 

(Learn more here: uninfluenced.sg/events/the-trip-what-happened-in-larspura)

My Déjà vu Experience

I had spent considerable time on an overseas exchange and resonated with Ben’s story where an overseas trip turned into a chase for a novel experience. Sometimes, it created harmless fun and even led to eye-opening experiences (Think building your own house with your own hands. Imagine doing that in cosmopolitan Singapore). Other times, it meant playing with fire including joining drug-fuelled raves and toying with the idea of trying them in countries where drugs are legalised. After all, whatever happens overseas, stays overseas. Right? And according to news reports, I was not alone in feeling this way. In 2022, at least 41 Singaporeans and PRs were arrested for drug abuse overseas. Thankfully, I had friends who reasoned with me and we stayed away from drugs. 

On hindsight, it could have gone down a slippery slope. What if my friends stayed silent, worried about either offending me or appearing close-minded?- Would that have changed my decision? The pressure and fear of missing out are real challenges that could affect anyone regardless of age.  Being a foreign exchange student could be a lonely experience due to language or cultural differences. Some could feel the pressure to explore uncharted territory such as trying drugs to avoid being shunned, since recreational drug use could be legalised and normalised in those countries. The conundrum could be very real, leading even those who had never considered drugs back home to struggle with the decision of whether they should give in to temptation. 

Final Reflections

 Studies have shown that more than earlier cohorts, my generation has a greater openness to experimentation and capacity for diversity. Being open-minded can help us to grow along with new experiences – the good, bad and ugly. And that’s okay, if we are grounded in our values

But we could waver in situations where lines are blurred or we feel pressured to act. In these situations, can we stay true to what we value while mollifying that fear of speaking up?

What began as a game evolved into a sobering lesson on the types of influences in our lives and what it fundamentally means to be open-minded. Ben’s Brain wasn’t just an exhibit—it was an experience that prompted us to question our personal experience, our vulnerabilities, while considering the things we truly value in life. 

[TL;DR: Peer influence is powerful—sometimes in ways we don’t even realise. They can change our values and the way we behave sometimes for good but also sometimes for the worse. A strong understanding of what we value in life can help us to navigate through negative peer influence]

The Science Behind Fitting In

You may be tempted to think this peer pressure only happens to certain types of people or in specific situations. But science tells us that this desire to conform and to fit in, is not only common but part of human nature. Whether it’s the ³Asch Conformity Experiments or ⁴Social Identity Theory, behavioural psychology has proven without a doubt that all humans desire to fit in and be accepted by their social group. To be accepted, we could adopt the norms, values and behaviours of the in-group, but at what cost? 

Peer pressure’s not all bad. Think about the fitness trends that have encouraged people to get together in groups to exercise. That’s the power of group-think used for something good. Simply engaging in healthy activities together as a group could foster camaraderie and a sense of belonging, and boost motivation: in the case of exercise, ³⁵studies have shown that group-workouts are more effective in improving quality of life and reducing stress levels than individual workouts. This is one scenario proving that peer influence can be used for good. We often find purpose when we feel that we have a vital/irreplaceable role to play in a group setting and our self-worth is boosted. 

However, there are always two sides to a coin, and peer pressure can be a negative force, inevitably forcing us to pick a side especially when there is conflict between our personal values and the group’s values. Findings from the 2025 Uninfluenced campaign survey revealed that 62% of youths in Singapore would feel pressured by their peers to try drugs at social events even if they did not want to. 

Have you heard these utterances before? 

“What happens in (place name), stays in (place name)”   “Come on, just try everything once”  Soundbites from CNB’s escape room event

If it sounds familiar, you might have heard or used it when hanging out with friends. At times, they could be harmless utterances that encourage us and our friends to let loose and even benefit. However, what about during situations where someone is in danger of abusing drugs? These seemingly harmless utterances can form part of peer pressure by invalidating the listeners’ values.

Drug abuse can start because of curiosity. Add on peer pressure, playing on the the desire to fit in, or just not wanting to be the odd one out and as one former drug abuser shared, it can quickly spiral into something much harder to escape.

The Slippery Slope of Peer Pressure

It all began with a simple hangout at a friend’s house, said John (not his real name).

“I was curious. My friends didn’t even want me to try at first, but I insisted,” he admitted. Over time, that curiosity grew into something else, a need to belong. As his friends experimented with more substances, he felt left behind.

“They told me Ecstasy was way better than Meth, so I joined in. I didn’t want to feel left out.”

For many, drugs are about rebellion. For others, it is about finding belonging. And the pressure isn’t always direct. Sometimes, it’s the fear of losing friendships. Other times, it’s the taunts:

“My friends kept calling me ‘xiasuay’ (embarrassing) if I didn’t try it. When you’re in a tight-knit group, ‘face’ matters.

Even the strongest resolve can be eroded when it comes to the influence of peer pressure. The desire be part of a group can erode even the resolve of the strongest especially when the pressure comes from those who matter the most to you. However, a strong understanding of what we value in life can help us to navigate these influences.