Loss of Culture

[anarkon]

In the Frontline documentary "The Persuaders," (you can watch the whole thing for free on the PBS website), there's a quote that says, "Once culture becomes advertising friendly, it ceases to be a culture at all." The cyclical relationship between what we see on billboards and television and our identity as individuals and as a culture is increasingly becoming one in the same. Are we becoming more and more like what advertisements tell us we should be? If so how does that effect our cultural heritage and sense of self?

"The Persuaders," is definitely recommended viewing for anyone interested in the subject and as always Frontline does a fine job of presenting the issue.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/

[Luke]

I'll have to check out the movie.  We generation Xers are often deeply suspicious of advertising.  It has become more ubiquitous, definitely (ever been to Tokyo? sheeet).  But good causes need advertising as much as evil multi-nationals.  But you don't often see those ads on buses because of the price tag.  (Although a few weeks ago in San Francisco I did see a bus ad for the new Michael Franti album, that probably only happens in the Bay area.) 

Studying different peace and progressive movements for me in college was often a mental exercise in "how to get the word out."  And while I've tried to take some of those ideas into self-promotion (ie Lotus), the ideas swam into my head again recently.  I was in Denver during the Democratic Convention and in Minneapolis a day after the Republican Convention.  Seeing the news article written about the protesters refreshed the thought that often public actions are the cheapest advertising.  Can't pay for an ad in a paper?  Then do something the paper will write about.  Shit, they might put it on the front page. 

So to tie all this far-flung stuff together, I guess my point is perhaps the discussion isn't merely "Advertising and How its Fucking up Us and Culture."  Because advertising has been around as long as cave paintings, and a standing on a rock and yelling at passer-bys.  But rather what kind of restrictions of space and time should be put on advertising, and how to fight advertising of evil with advertising for good.

           

[minorgrey]

I loved that move.  Should be required watching for any design student.

[geezer]

It reminds me of the question; Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?  If you buy the product but your life still isn't as great as you were told it would be, isn't the next logical step to try and imitate the supporting content of the ad?  After all, you bought the product and it obviously worked for the beautifull people who told you about it.  Perhaps your'e not at the right place at the right time, wearing the right clothes, driving the right car, displaying the right mannerisms, mingling with the right people. etc, etc........  The latest ad to bug me is a TV ad that told me that my family's Christmas homecoming will be better, they'll love me even more if I've made my teeth whiter by using the advertiser's product. Really!?!?

[Carl]

I've had this very discussion with a number of people and the argument always comes up that people aren't so ignorant that they can't see past the advertising fluff.

I would agree with that as a general rule but I think when there is soooooo much of it and it's coming at us constantly it's hard not to let even a little of it in and be affected by it. So while I KNOW that having whiter teeth won't make my holiday's brighter (pardon the pun), I think seeing that advertisement and many others like it repeatedly every day for a few months DOES have some affect on me.