In this weeks reading on Advertising and Consumerism: A Space for Pedagogical Practice by Virginia Funes, there was a statement made that I felt spoke volumes about advertising and it’s effect on society…”Advertising images are powerful tools of social control”. (Funes, 2008) Advertising is a powerful median which can be used for good and/or bad in terms of control over the consumer.
The Bad…or the Borg
The imagery and messages that are produced in advertising can desensitize the consumer and adversely affect their view on reality. Ideas and beliefs that have been formed through experiences can be easy altered or shifted by the message in an advertisement. Individuals no longer have individual thoughts or ideas, and conformity sets in. Sounds a little like a communist society….or is it the borg? Is it possible that advertising can be related to the ‘assimilation’ process that was used by the Borg on the pop cult show Star Trek? The goal of the Borg was to achieve perfection and raise the quality of life of those that were assimilated into the collective; the collective have one thought, one voice. There are no individuals in the collective. The goal of advertising is to sell a product; provide information and sell products that will improve and increase the quality of life. If all consumers where to believe the message, then the consumers would then become the ‘collective’. Will their resistance be futile? Will they always believe the message?
The Good
Unlike the Borg, consumers are not a collective consciousness, they are individuals. Consumers may be a collective society but have individual thoughts, attitudes and ideas. Whether it happens in or out of the classroom, the value of advertising on the consumer is that it allows for critical thought process to occur which equates to growth. Growth as an individual occurs when we challenge the message and don’t except it at face value. When we ask probing questions and digger deeper, we challenge ourselves, our beliefs and those of others. Once we start engaging in these activities of inquiry, the advertising industry will have to work even harder at creating seductive advertisements that we cannot resist…resistance is NOT futile.
The Bad…or the Borg
The imagery and messages that are produced in advertising can desensitize the consumer and adversely affect their view on reality. Ideas and beliefs that have been formed through experiences can be easy altered or shifted by the message in an advertisement. Individuals no longer have individual thoughts or ideas, and conformity sets in. Sounds a little like a communist society….or is it the borg? Is it possible that advertising can be related to the ‘assimilation’ process that was used by the Borg on the pop cult show Star Trek? The goal of the Borg was to achieve perfection and raise the quality of life of those that were assimilated into the collective; the collective have one thought, one voice. There are no individuals in the collective. The goal of advertising is to sell a product; provide information and sell products that will improve and increase the quality of life. If all consumers where to believe the message, then the consumers would then become the ‘collective’. Will their resistance be futile? Will they always believe the message?
The Good
Unlike the Borg, consumers are not a collective consciousness, they are individuals. Consumers may be a collective society but have individual thoughts, attitudes and ideas. Whether it happens in or out of the classroom, the value of advertising on the consumer is that it allows for critical thought process to occur which equates to growth. Growth as an individual occurs when we challenge the message and don’t except it at face value. When we ask probing questions and digger deeper, we challenge ourselves, our beliefs and those of others. Once we start engaging in these activities of inquiry, the advertising industry will have to work even harder at creating seductive advertisements that we cannot resist…resistance is NOT futile.