How the role of marketing and advertising shape public opinions/consumerism and political opinion.
Mass media has changed over the past 50 years in ways we couldn't have imagined. With the invent of television, radio and internet along with print media the role of marketing and advertising have influenced our lives dramatically. Most of our decisions and belief system depends heavily on knowledge facts, assumptions and experience. Our knowledge of facts and consequently our assumptions come from mass media. The media makes billions of dollars by advertising products and influencing our decisions. Advertisements tell the consumers what to buy whether via television, radio, print ads or internet.
The effect of mass media on teenagers cannot be underestimated.Young adults are the most vulnerable target market. Teenagers are easily persuaded because they want acceptance from their peers. They want to buy the latest fads and fashion -- they want to fit in. Therefore, the media has the greatest effect on teenagers and what they buy and what is consider acceptable and the norm. The media can both have positive and negative effects on the young consumers. Advertisers set the standards for what's acceptable in our society. The media creates the image of the ideal, and sends subliminal messages through advertisements. They send mixed messages by advertising how fast food tastes good yet omits the nutritional value. Obesity is a major problem in children and young adults, yet they are exposed to advetisements of junk food and the people that are supposedly consuming these products are people who are thin and heathy-- a complte contradiction.
There are only 5 major companies that own the media: Time Warner, Viacom, Walt Disney, News Corp., and Vivendi Universal. These companies own 95% of the media so their influence in shaping consumers' opinion is tremendous. In general our society depends on information and communication to keep us moving forward and helping us make daily decisions. It's a fact of life that marketing and advertising plays a huge part in our lives and helps shape our opinion.
http://rayuso.hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society
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