Sociology 2172A/B Chapter Notes -White Supremacy, Visible Minority, Conspicuous Consumption
11 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
Advertising is the catalyst behind the consumerism of a capitalist society; it drives mainstream media: mainstream media exists to provide an outlet for advertising by attracting a wide audience. Advertising connects consumer products with what is socially acceptable by capitalizing on our insecurities and dormant desires. Advertising exploits our obsession with appearance-based self esteem. Creates unhealthy dependence because relief is promised to be a purchasable fantasy away. Advertising encourages waste, destroy environment, distorts human value and strengthens distribution of power and resource. Green advertising is hypocritical: has underlying messages of use more not less. Minorities often cast as problems: recently minorities embraced as symbols of diversity that is key for massaging the message, inclusiveness of the message. Deceiving: increase in the quantity of minority may be offset by the quality of representations that continue to stereotype, deny the legitimacy of ethnicity for branding or marketing.
