November 7th: Is Advertising Good for Society?

In this week's reading both the yes and no article argued two very valid points. the yes article said that advertising is necessary and informs the consumers about what is right for them. Also advertising stimulates the economy and the cycle of supply and demand. The no article said that advertising only puts unnecessary stress on the consumer, making them feel that they ned things that don't or cannot afford.

Personally, I cannot think of advertising the same ever since I saw the move The Joneses. If you have not seen the movie I suggest that you do. It is a very interesting take on marketing on product placement. SPOILER ALERT The movie is about a husband and wife who have two children in high school, a daughter and a son. As the plot develops you find out that they are in fact not a real family, but are instead all salesmen and women posing to be a family. No one knows that they are a fake family and just think that they have it all, money, cars, a nice home, good looks. They own, or shall i say, are given the best of the best in order to endorse and promote it within the community that they live in. The family is however, selling much more than products, they are selling a lifestyle.

In the movie the family's neighbor is suffering to keep up the Joneses, and in many ways is going through all the reasons the no article gives as to why advertising is bad for society. In the end the neighbor puts himself in extreme debt trying to buy all of the things that he can't afford and doesn't necessarily need. Unable to cope with the stress, the man unfortunately take his own life.

While advertising may set standards that one feels that he or she must live by, the person shouldn't let it become a negative force in their life. Once again, we cannot let the media determine what are values are. There is so much more to life than fancy things. People need to realize that they can't buy happiness, and advertising may not be the best to learn that.