Advertisements: A road to consumerism
The New York Times reported the average person living in the city could see up to 5,000 advertisements in one day. That’s 208 an hour or three a minute. They are littered with things like alcohol, fast food, cars, more fast food and products that are made to seem like you can’t live without them.
Advertisements are often misleading and cause people to act with urgency. A quick pop-up ad in your iPhone app might lead you to spending $5 on a game you won’t play for more than a day.
The sole purpose is to persuade you to consume their product. It could be the message of a politician, a subscription to a news agency or to tune in to a show. Even organizations with good intentions use false advertising to get their message across. How do we fall so easily to them?
U.S. News highlighted the model that companies use to create false advertisements. They persuade you through subconscious conditioning by appealing to senses, like tastes or touch, “it triggers our craving instinct.”
According to Martin Lindstrom, author of The New York Times best-seller "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy,” advertisements target the same part of your brain that makes you crave chocolate, want to go for a jog or gamble.
Some plan to convey messages while you’re not giving the advertisement 100 percent of your attention. Others may call for your attention or convey fear to draw you in.
Advertising agencies have an enormous amount of influence over TV shows, newspapers, and online blogs who rely on them as a source of income. When you use a product, you are being sold more products. TV stations tend to use select advertising that focuses on products that may peak your interests.
Advertisements have been a part of our culture for some time now. We need to learn how to manage what we consume, as well as the number of advertisements that we expose ourselves to. By taking more time to consider products that are advertised to us, we can better educate ourselves about the culture that exists.