I believe that advertising was not intended to be a corrupt and manipulative influence within people’s lives, but instead has been transformed into this through the media. As the world has continued to industrialize, advertising and media have changed along with it. This is the reason that people may consider it to be unethical and dishonest.
I believe that this is true under certain circumstances. I believe that advertising was never meant to have a malicious effect on its viewers but it all depends on a few factors. What is being advertised, who is advertising it and why is it being advertised. These are probably the three most important things to take into account when looking at advertisements. For example, an ad by Apple will be trying to advertise their new product. Since it is a well-known brand people know that they are reliable and trustworthy and they retain their brand recognition. People would most likely know from past experience that there is most likely no malicious intent because they are providing a newer version of a product that people have already had and experienced in the past.
An example of where advertising could be seen as malicious is if the company who is advertising is advertising their product very aggressively or dishonestly. The most common example are the “as seen on TV” ads. These usually consist of cheaply made products but are advertised extremely well with fake reviewers and reactions to their product. Another example of these are sponsored content that influencers post on their stories. The products are usually considered “free” where you pay a lot of money for the shipping. These are corrupt and malicious companies that are trying to rip off people, especially children by getting them to buy their cheaply made products.
Overall advertising and intent all depend on the three factors mentioned above and it varies depending on many factors.