Advertising

     Watching the film in class last Friday really changed my thoughts. I have never thought that advertising could manipulate minds so much until recently. Kids younger than 8 years old really don't understand the complexity of society. They cannot self-monitor themselves, and the 1980 FTC ban on regulation of advertisements really is a downfall for everyone. It is understandable that marketers have to be convincing to make money, which will help the economy improve, but there needs to be some limitations to freedom of speech. 1 in 4 children between 8-12 years of age have cell phones, making it easy to be exposed to commercials. Some schools are placing ads in return for funding by companies, and many people don't even find this to be a problem. We must find a way to deal with responsibility.

     The link below is an advertisement for Apple's IPhone 5s. There are positive parts about the commercial, including musicians using tuners on the 5s, exercisers measuring heartbeats, and people powering rockets. However, my interpretation of the ad is negative. The job of a marketer is to convince consumers to buy the product. Ads are used to sway a person to see how great the product is. Young kids watching the ad don't realize what being persuasive is. They see an ad, and if they like it, they will want to buy the product. An IPhone is useful, but it is detrimental. Kids ask and beg their parents for merchandise, and parents often consent. Once kids have an IPhone, which is rather costly, they'll spend more time on it instead of going outside. Technology is a great thing to have, but it has given many a sedentary lifestyle that hurts our health. Obesity problems have gotten worse and worse from lack of exercise, and many diseases have occurred.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODmfmUWqlSA