By Brett McCracken, TGC. (Photo: Daniel Bernard/Unsplash)
A growing subgenre of YouTube influencers and videos promises quick, easy hacks for reinventing yourself and becoming a “new you.” Here are some examples:
- Identity Shifting: Your New Way to Reinvent Yourself (in 3–6 months)
- How to Become UNRECOGNIZABLE In 90 Days: Rebrand Your Identity, Build Micro Habits & Glow Up Fast
- The Ultimate Guide to Reinventing Yourself in 2025
- How to Reinvent Yourself and Level Up Your Life in 2025
Hundreds of videos like these share the same characteristics. They’re from attractive life coaches or wellness gurus touting step-by-step methods for identity reinvention (e.g., “seven simple steps to rebrand your life” or “five steps to make your identity shift”). The central concept in each is that behavior follows from identity. When your mindset shifts—when you start to visualize yourself differently—your actions and habits naturally align with that new identity. As one guru states in her video, “Someone who identifies as an athlete doesn’t have to force themselves to exercise; it’s just part of who they are.”
No wonder these videos have a huge viewership. The method sounds like magic.
Identity Formation in the Internet Age
In many ways, these videos are just the latest expressions of the New Thought philosophies that have been around since the 19th century (helpfully unpacked by Melissa Dougherty in her new book, Happy Lies). They’re downstream from Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking (1952), Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret, various “name it and claim it” prosperity gospel heresies, and other expressions of the “think your desired reality into being” philosophy.
But the identity-shift method has gained traction in recent years because of how the concept of identity has been reshaped by the internet. And because Christians are very much shaped by these digital dynamics too, we can be just as tempted toward the identity-shifting mindset. Consider these two ways our understanding of “self” has changed.