We as Consumers

It’s questionable whether or not mass media has made us (consumers) slavering mad about money and the saying “the love of money is the root of all evil,” to be true, but certainly they are a driving force behind advertising and its effect on us. Many of us may or may not realize that we are the commodity being bought and sold, tightly sealed in a protective plastic package shielding us from others in the same competitive market. Advertisements are nearly impossible to avoid: even fortune cookies nowadays sometimes have advertisements in them. They’re in the usual places, too, of course, like magazines, television, and more recently the Internet. It has become the lives we are supposed to live. Brand name or generic: are there any other choices? Aristotle is alive, and media industries prey on people through the development of pathos, logos, and ethos. As consumers, we have to be able to understand all dimensions of media literacy (cognitive, emotional, aesthetic, and moral). That’s not to say that if we are hopelessly media illiterate that we’ll consume everything in sight, but we should know enough to not be duped every time an advertisement flashes in our face. We should understand what Joe Turow says the media is – the industrialized production and multiple distributions of messages through technological devices – because it could help us understand that, even if intentions are good, they are still money-making industries. Media literacy (illiteracy) is the problem.

I hate that enough money guarantees access and not enough prevents it: trends, schools, social interaction, popular culture, etc; I hate seeing an advertisement for a product perfect for me, narrowcasting allowing products to be tailored to specific audiences; I hate the illusion of completeness they create. Insurance companies found their niche in tricking us to believe that we are safe drivers, which in being a safe driver comes with the perks of discounts. Progressive is among the worst: the spokeswoman screaming out, “Discount!” every time the customer qualifies for one. Hardly anyone qualifies for that many discounts. 

The way we want to be, want to look, want to live, and what we need is often misled by false pretenses, and it’s because we let them. It’s hard to resist, which many never thought of even trying. I’m talking about people not being media literate enough to understand how media industries operate, deciphering any underlying messages which may be present, or the misconceptions which also come with being media illiterate.

I could, of course, be totally wrong. Maybe advertising is a good thing. Maybe it does make it easier to shop and find the products we want and need. I just don’t like the idea of being a slave to them, having them tell me what I’m going to buy. We have the power to say “yes” or “no,” but too often, we opt for yes.