You’re sitting in a crowded coffee shop. To you, it’s a productive workspace with a killer oat milk latte. To the guy at the next table, it’s a noisy distraction that’s ruining his morning. That’s the simplest way to explain what's a point of view. It isn't just a literary term you forgot after high school English class; it’s the literal lens through which we process reality. Honestly, most people think it’s just a fancy word for an opinion. It’s way deeper than that.
Why point of view isn't just your opinion
If you look up the dictionary definition, you'll find stuff about "a specified stated manner of consideration" or "an attitude or standpoint." Boring. In the real world, your point of view is a mix of your biology, your upbringing, the news you read this morning, and even how much sleep you got last night. It’s a filter. Imagine wearing sunglasses with blue lenses. Everything looks blue, right? You might forget you're even wearing them. That’s how POV works in everyday life. You stop seeing the filter and start thinking the world actually is blue.
In storytelling—whether we're talking about a Netflix series like The Bear or a classic novel—point of view is a technical tool. It determines who tells the story and how much the audience is allowed to know. If the narrator is "unreliable," you're in for a ride. Take Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. The whole hook of that book is the clashing points of view between Nick and Amy. Without those specific, biased perspectives, the story literally doesn't exist. It would just be a dry police report.
The technical side of the lens
Let’s get nerdy for a second. In writing, you’ve got three main buckets. First person is the "I" perspective. It’s intimate. It’s biased. It’s like being inside someone’s skull. When Holden Caulfield gripes about "phonies" in The Catcher in the Rye, that’s a pure first-person point of view. You aren't seeing the world; you're seeing Holden's version of it.
Then there’s second person. This is the "You" perspective. It’s rare because it’s hard to pull off without sounding like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book or a technical manual. But when it works—like in Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City—it puts the reader directly into the character’s messy shoes.
Third person is the heavy hitter. You’ve got "Limited," where the narrator follows one character, and "Omniscient," where the narrator is basically God. Imagine a movie camera. A limited POV is like a Go-Pro strapped to the hero's chest. Omniscient is like a drone flying over the whole city, seeing what’s happening in every house at once.
How POV shapes your social media feed
We have to talk about the algorithm. Most of us spend hours scrolling through a point of view that has been curated by code. This creates "filter bubbles." If you only see one perspective on your feed, your own point of view becomes rigid. You start to think everyone agrees with you because everyone on your screen agrees with you.
Sociologists call this "confirmation bias." It’s a survival mechanism. Our brains like being right. It’s comfortable. But it’s also dangerous for personal growth. If you never encounter a point of view that challenges yours, you stop thinking critically. You just react. It’s the difference between a conversation and an echo chamber.
The "Rashomon" effect in real life
Ever heard of the Rashomon effect? It comes from Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film where a single event—a crime in a forest—is described by four different witnesses. Each story is completely different. None of them are necessarily "lying," but their individual points of view change the "truth."
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This happens in offices every day. A manager thinks they gave clear instructions. An employee thinks they were being micromanaged. The truth is usually floating somewhere in the middle, but both people are convinced their point of view is the only correct one.
- Biology: Your physical senses (can you see the colors clearly? is your hearing sharp?)
- Environment: Where you grew up and the culture that surrounded you.
- Experience: What has happened to you in the past that makes you wary or confident?
Understanding POV in the age of misinformation
In 2026, the stakes are higher. With AI-generated content and deepfakes, figuring out the point of view of a source is a survival skill. You have to ask: Who is telling me this? What do they want me to feel? What are they leaving out?
A news report from a state-run outlet will have a vastly different point of view than an independent journalist on the ground. Neither is a "neutral" observer. Neutrality is a myth. Everyone has a vantage point. The goal isn't to find someone without a POV—that person doesn't exist—but to find someone whose POV is transparent and backed by evidence.
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Why shifting your perspective is a superpower
Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand another person's point of view without necessarily agreeing with it. It’s like a muscle. You have to work it out. If you're a die-hard city dweller, try to understand why someone would love living in a rural town with one grocery store. You don't have to want to move there, but you should be able to see the logic of their life.
This is huge in conflict resolution. "I see where you're coming from" is a powerful phrase. It de-escalates. It opens a door. When you acknowledge that another point of view is valid—even if you think it's wrong—you change the dynamic of the interaction.
Practical steps to expand your own point of view
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Your brain likes patterns. If you want to broaden your horizons, you have to be intentional. It’s not just about "being open-minded," which is a vague concept. It’s about specific actions.
- Read outside your "zone." If you love sci-fi, read a biography of a 19th-century explorer. If you only read right-leaning news, spend twenty minutes on a left-leaning site (or vice versa).
- The "Third Side" Exercise. When you're in an argument, try to narrate the conflict from the perspective of a neutral third party. How would a fly on the wall describe what’s happening?
- Ask "Why" three times. When someone says something you find totally wrong or offensive, ask yourself why they might think that. Then ask why that reason exists. Then ask one more time. Usually, you'll find a fear or a value at the bottom of it.
- Travel (even locally). You don't need a passport. Go to a neighborhood you never visit. Sit in a park there. Watch how people interact. Every micro-culture has its own point of view.
The point of view of the future
As we move further into a world of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the concept of point of view will become even more literal. We’ll be able to quite literally step into someone else’s digital shoes. Imagine a history lesson where you don't just read about a battle but experience the point of view of a soldier on the front lines.
But even with all that tech, the core truth remains: point of view is the most human thing we have. It’s what makes us unique and what makes us clash. Understanding it doesn't just make you a better reader or a better writer—it makes you a more functional human being in a complicated world.
Next Steps for You:
- Audit your inputs: Take five minutes to look at the last ten accounts you followed on social media. Are they all echoing your current point of view? If so, find one account that safely challenges your assumptions and follow it for a week.
- Practice the "Switch": Next time you’re annoyed by a coworker or family member, stop and list three things that might be stressing them out that you can’t see.
- Write it out: If you’re struggling with a decision, write a one-page summary of the problem from the perspective of someone who disagrees with your current choice. You’d be surprised how much clarity this brings.