Advertising has profound effects
on our perceptions of reality. Indeed, the very purpose of advertising
is to meld the mental outlook of the audience toward a more benign attitude
in regard to the product or idea being propagated. However, the full
implications of this mental shift are overlooked quite conveniently as
being too insignificant for our concern. We know that our lives are
in fact made up of small instances. No one experience defines who
we are. It is the collection of little changes throughout our lives
that slowly develops our personality, and we are constantly changing.
Each individual experiences
things that no one else does, or at least a collection of things in a combination
that is unique. And everything has a small effect on our outlook
of reality. But this is where advertising cuts into our lives in
an intrusion of the natural process of change. Because advertising
is fed to the whole of society, through mediums such as television, newspapers,
and radio, the change in perception is one that is experienced by the majority
of people. However, the message of the advertisement, because it
is made with the specific intention of changing the audiences’ perception,
is quite narrow. Therefore, a very specific change in perception
of reality is beheld by a huge percentage of the population. This
leads to tidal like shifts in the society itself. A large number
of people now agree on insignificant product preferences. Yet even
more importantly and probably more intense is the mores which are distributed.
In advertising it is necessary
to grab the attention of the audience. Often, emotionally shocking
or pleasant material is given to the audience in order to bend their attitude.
This material then becomes integrated into the society, not only as commonplace
material, but the norm by which other things are measured. In many
instances advertising has brought about a false sense of reality that the
true reality is unable to live up too. A prime example of is the
idealized women shown in advertisements or the even the very glamour of
the advertisement in comparison to the relatively dull reality. This
desire for that glamorized reality causes disillusionment within the population.
What they are actually able to obtain is much less than what they feel
they should be able to obtain. It is undesirable to have a population
who feels that they can not have what they deserve. But even worse
than this is the smaller changes that are more applicable to reality.
Advertising specifically targets
people and says, “hey you, you want this, you want to do this, and you
want to be this.” The advertisers just want to get their job done,
they just want to sell their product, but they do more. They create
a world that desires not just the product they are selling but who also
feels things, thinks things, and craves things that they never would have,
given natural circumstances. Small changes in their desires and wants
greatly affect a person’s life. Who do we live for, and what do we
die for, when everything is bought and sold. The dollar, the dollar,
the almighty dollar. Buy a woman today and a sandwich tomorrow.
So whom do we buy, and what do we say to them. Hello, Is anyone listening?
Boredom sets in as the crowd disperses. When entertainment is lost
then so too is reason to believe. And do we want a society that cherishes
a fast fix over reason? Perhaps we do, that question is not rhetorical.
But we should not want a society in which humans lose their ability to
act as they wish. We should not chain a man’s flesh or hold a woman
captive. Neither than should we hold a human’s mind. The sorry
state of it is that no one is doing anything terribly bad individually.
It is the result of constant bombardment that eventually hides a human
within their cave of belief and acceptance of truth that was never there.
But that is a bit extreme. I am afraid I have lost
some of the reality to the theory. Advertisements will never bring
about such a drastic change. They will however, altar peoples
lives. Often the scope of such changes can be difficult to predict
and we can never know what effect such tampering could cause. Am
I arguing against advertising? No. All I am saying is that
power is a risky thing, and that advertising is a powerful thing.
I don’t think that should be taken lightly.
In any case, changing the course of another human’s life is a risky maneuver.
And the more you know about the situation ironically causes your advice
to be more risky. All paths may lead to a bad end and, knowing this,
it is wise to alter the decisions of others as little as possible.
But maybe I am too harsh. Can the changing of others opinion lead
to a heightening of conciseness and of moral and health standards?
This is a difficult question to answer because any opinion can be claimed
ownership to. Were I to state that my paper has ink on it, I could
be proved wrong or right and thereby also brought about to realizing the
truth. However, in the case of opinions neither one of us holds the
truth, we are merely discussing a matter of personal preference.
Respect for fellow men would lead us to believe that these differences
are beneficial to society. If our opinions differ then so too will
our lives. And if our lives differ then we should create a society of beauty
rather than something mundane.
So then where is advertising?
Does it belong to a class of demons ready to pervert the human soul?
No, certainly not. Advertising is a thing, a powerful thing, but
a thing none the less. Any power can be used for good or for bad.
They more one understands a power the more the more they can use it for
exactly what they wish to. But they power will have a positive or
a negative effect on those it is used, always. If the user is ignorant
to the full potential of the power he/she welds then it does not diminsish
the power. Rather, it simply becomes more chaotic, more dangerous
because now we are unleashing something we don’t fully understand.
What I am trying to say is that the reckless use of something as powerful
as advertising ought to stop. It is bad enough that people intentionally
use it for selfish reasons. But I doubt that the majority of advertisers
bother to consider the full extent of what their propaganda will produce.
I also fear that many (if not all) advertisers are incapable of knowing
the full extent of such a massive power as to meld the human mind.
This conclusion is reached quite simply by being witness to the mass of
advertising presented to the public.
This is by far too much. Let us not give a sword
to a newborn babe, and let us not give advertising to the humans.
It shall corrupt even the wisest of us.