Some argue that advertising is a corrupting and manipulative influence in our lives. To what extent do you feel this is true or untrue?
As the nature of advertisements has changed and evolved, there are certain practices and methods used that could be marked as corrupting and manipulative. For example, there are certain ‘physical aesthetic’ building brands, such as makeup, protein supplements, and weight loss products that are advertised by certain influencers, show claim that the products are the way they achieved a certain appearance. This, however, is misinformation, as they had numerous other factors backing their appearance, such as plastic surgery, personal trainers and chefs, etc.
Advertising can also be seen as immoral as they help contribute to the capitalist materialistic side of the community, as the constant advertisement of goods pushes people to buy more items that might not necessarily contribute any real value to their lives, while they could be saving their money for other outputs.
Another way that advertisements might have a negative impact on our lives is demotivating us when trying to learn something. For example, when watching a tutorial on a piano piece or watching a video about the latest economic concept you learnt at school, an ad might be the difference between you sitting there and doing something you would rather not and going to watch the television
Advertisements do have multiple positives too, however. For example, advertisements could provide someone with information about a product they need desperately that might change their life. For example, for someone wanting to move to a certain place to start a job, an advertisement for an apartment within their budget or a real estate agent similar to that might help encourage the move, and help make it easier to transition.