Sociology 2172A/B Lecture 9: Beyond Subliminal – The Pervasiveness of Persuasion

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2172A/B
• Professor: Gale Cassidy

Document Summary

Persuasion: you are voicing your own opinion biased opinion in an attempt to convince someone to change his or her own mind. I(cid:373)porta(cid:374)t to u(cid:374)dersta(cid:374)d ho(cid:449) to use persuasi(cid:448)e (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)u(cid:374)i(cid:272)atio(cid:374) ethi(cid:272)all(cid:455) (so (cid:449)e do(cid:374)"t coerce people into thinking certain things) Most ads are a mix of persuasive and informative content. Critics are concerned about the types of persuasive messages that slip under the radar. These subliminal messages can create some level of anxiety that can be relieved only by purchasing a product or service to address the anxiety. Best known proponent of subliminal advertising: ice cubes in alcohol ads. Wilson key: said that advertisers embed subliminal messages regarding death and sexuality, which cause the anxiety in the consumer and cause the consumer to increase their drinking. Idea of the passive consumer: if we do not know a message is there, we cannot know how to avoid it or make it go away.