The Mass Media Advertisers

(Introduction) Advertisements bombard the public from radios, televisions, billboards, and newspapers. Critics say the public's perception of reality is warped by the materialism, sexism, and stereotypes portrayed in mass advertising. The obvious purpose of ads and commercials is to sell goods and services, but advertisers do more than that. Over and above any particular product, they sell an entire way of life, a way of experiencing social reality that is compatible with the needs of mass-production. Advertisers not only market their products, but also change your way of thinking. Mass media should be controlled in order to preserve individual thinking.

Advertising's goal is to turn consumer's perception away from the product and toward himself or herself. Advertising contains many aspects that are negative. Advertising teaches false values. Based on a life of "getting things" through instant gratification, there is an erosion of the true values of outgoing effort and concern, discipline and responsibility. This fostering of desire for "things" encourages people to want more- instead of trying to be more the way decent people should be. Advertising also corrupts personal relationships. The sexual exploitation of women in advertising is contributing to the growing failure of true man-women relationships. To show that "love" is dependent upon some gadget is misinformation and simplification of life's complex interpersonal attitudes. The world of mass advertising teaches us that want and frustration are caused by our own deficiencies. The goods are within easy reach, before our very eyes in dazzling abundance, available not only to the rich but to millions of ordinary citizens. The advertisement of consumer wares is also an advertisement for a whole capitalist system, a demonstration that the system can deliver both the goods and the good life to everyone (Parenti 187-192). These types of advertisements are negatively affecting individual thinking.

On the other hand, the public realizes that ads, just as cartoons, do not reflect reality. The public is not helpless., but armed with reason, guile, and a certain savvy about how to make one's way in the market. If people are open to persuasion about frivolous products and services, it may be that people have become sufficiently jaded by affluence to let ourselves be seduced by clearly self-interested sources. Advertisements are a source of "alleviating imagery", helping us to mentally compensate for the overall drabness of our lives. Advertising has many positive features. It is used to promote desirable social aims, like savings and investments, family planning, and the purchase of fertilizer to improve agricultural output (Fackler 193-195). Without some types of positive advertising, people would not be able to know useful information for everyday life.

For all these reasons, advertising is an ambiguous subject capable of many interpretations. Advertising is just bits and pieces of reality. Due to all the negative aspects that advertising has on today's society, it is seen as a sworn enemy on the free market. Even over the past couple of months, America has seen how advertising and the mass media can cause chaos as seen in the death of Princess Diana. In conclusion, mass media and advertising should be controlled to preserve personal thinking.



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WORKS CITED

Bender, David L. ed. "Is Advertising Harmful to Society?"
The Mass Media: Opposing Viewpoints. Minnesota: Greenhaven Press, 1988.

Fackler, Mark. "Advertising Has Little Effect on Society."
The Mass Media: Opposing Viewpoints. Minnesota: Greenhaven Press, 1988.

Parenti, Michael. "Advertising Has Negative Effect on Society."
The Mass Media: Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press, 1988.