Difficult to recognize it when you're being pulled along by the same strong current everyone else is too. There are too many distractions and things deemed important by society that your perspective is narrowed because the majority of what you consume and allow to pass through you biases your reality. It feeds into the idea that you are a part of that collective and that is the "norm".

Realizing that you're in this situation unless you observe or talk with someone outside the system, take the time to question or think about reality, or have experienced something that shakes you outside the norm, seems rare. The system appears to be designed so well to keep you there. 

Hard to break free from and isolating if you cannot find like minded people who understand your perspective or have strong willpower to resist getting drawn back in. Unless you have good resources, supportive people, or are really lucky, there will probably be a part of your life still captured by that system. Varying levels of free.