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Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

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Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#201

Post by cwkoss »

50656E6973 wrote: post #104

Big Advertising is a root cause not only for mass mental dissatisfaction, but also mass health epidemics (i.e. obesity in the US), and ecological destruction/climate change.

Advertising is a cancer on our society. Every time you see an ad, make an effort to to make that impression net-negative ROI. Tweet about how the brand causes horrible health problems, makes customers look like idiots, has disgusting business practices etc. Who care's if it's true, most ads (or tweets for that matter) are not either!

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#202

Post by rfrey »

jandrese wrote: post #107
conanbatt wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Humans enjoy things more based on their subjective interpretation of it. Advertising makes you enjoy things more.

That's a bold claim. Can you elaborate on it some more? I'm not sure how the advertising is helping our interpretation in this case.

Nobody would enjoy having a diamond without advertising. Maybe a child, to put with her collection of other rocks and shiny things.

While I agree with your parent that advertising can help people enjoy things more, I don't agree with the implication there's a positive side to ads. Everything I can think of that people enjoy more because of advertising, they'd probably be happier not enjoying.

Also: advertising can make you enjoy things less (usually things you already have). Maybe things you'd be happier if you enjoyed more.

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#203

Post by baddox »

jandrese wrote: post #4

Isn't this what you would expect? Advertising fundamentally is trying to convince you that you need something. If you're perfectly happy with your current situation then what else would you need? So the advertising has to convince you that you're not happy but that there is a product that you can buy that will increase your happiness. You're basically being negged by advertisers.

> So the advertising has to convince you that you're not happy

That claim doesn't follow. Some people actually are unhappy, or would actually be happier if they discovered and purchased certain products.

I'm not claiming that advertising is or isn't a net positive, but this part of your argument doesn't hold up. It's kind of like saying "dating, or asking someone on a date, is fundamentally trying to convince someone that they would be happier with you; if they were perfectly happy already what else would they need?; so you have to convince them that they're not happy just to get them to go on a date with you; thus asking someone on a date if basically negging."

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#204

Post by harry8 »

lordnacho wrote: post #24
jandrese wrote: post #4

Isn't this what you would expect? Advertising fundamentally is trying to convince you that you need something. If you're perfectly happy with your current situation then what else would you need? So the advertising has to convince you that you're not happy but that there is a product that you can buy that will increase your happiness. You're basically being negged by advertisers.

Well like it says there's two kinds. One is "Hey, did you know this thing exists? Check it out! Here are all the tests it passed, realistic cost of ownership, and locations where it is in stock". The other is "Look at this woman, isn't she fascinating? People like her will desire you more if you buy the thing she's lying on top of. Actual woman not included." Unfortunately, people have discovered type 2 is effective…

only two? Neither is negging either.

How does "Look at this beautiful person, just look. Your life isn't like this. Ha. You suck. You're a failure. You're ugly, you're stupid and nobody likes you and you haven't even got $product" "This family is so much happier and more well adjusted than yours, you're a rubbish parent and you don't even have $product"

Every ad in fashion be it for cream or stink or (gasp) sometimes even clothes. Loads of mirrors in every shopping centre aren't there?

Negging is exactly right. Make people afraid and sad. Fear of missing out, fear of weapons of mass destruction, fear that "maybe they don't really like me." Sometimes it's subtle eg Clooney selling coffee and sometimes it really isn't, eg Life Insurance ads and the Iraqi invasion. (Maybe some pushing the idea believed in WMD - that's not the point. It was levered very thoroughly to sell the war - be right or wrong).

Teaching children to identify and analyse psychologically manipulative techniques is essential for their mental well-being.

Obviously it's not just ads. There's a load of academic research that follows the same pattern. "You need to be terrified about your children's screen time." Maybe I do but do you have the research or are you just stoking fear to promote your career? The latter definitely exists.

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#205

Post by return1 »

FabHK wrote: post #191
return1 wrote: post #90

Ironically, advertising your position against advertising is also a form of advertising. I dont think it's right to view advertising as inherently unethical. Communication and signaling are parts of human nature

Rape and murder are parts of human nature, too. Still inherently unethical.

you think communicating with you is unethical?

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#206

Post by JohnFen »

d1zzy wrote: post #190
sesteel wrote: post #66

I view advertising as a form of pollution. In many cases, it erodes the human experience. It is abusive to families with children creating strife where there was none. I spend a lot of time managing expectations and sharing philosophical ideas, like "less is more". I don't mind teaching my children, but I don't like feeling people are trying to take advantage of us all the time. I explain it to them as if it is a gam…

If everyone just "keeps their money" the amount of cash changing hands would be much reduced which has a big negative impact on the US market (for better or worse). It's why everyone's monitoring "consumer confidence index". I moved to the US from a society where for almost any service or product, if there was a realistic option for the consumer to do their own thing and avoid spending money they would most definitel…

> I moved to the US from a society where for almost any service or product, if there was a realistic option for the consumer to do their own thing and avoid spending money they would most definitely do so

I'm in the US, and this is the predominant attitude amongst my friends and family -- so it's not unheard of here.

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#208

Post by tim333 »

amelius wrote: post #145

I suspect the root of the problem is with the way we view our economy. Instead of measuring happiness we use e.g. GDP as a metric, but I wouldn't be surprised if a high GDP correlates with and causes unhappiness and on top of that it certainly also negatively impacts the environment. Also, capitalism/the free market seems like a very unfair system (no need to provide examples I hope), and unfairness is also a known c…

Well there are some people trying to measure happiness now eg https://worldhappiness.report/ and there seems a trend in that direction, may it continue.

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#209

Post by galfarragem »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #149
sesteel wrote: post #66

I view advertising as a form of pollution. In many cases, it erodes the human experience. It is abusive to families with children creating strife where there was none. I spend a lot of time managing expectations and sharing philosophical ideas, like "less is more". I don't mind teaching my children, but I don't like feeling people are trying to take advantage of us all the time. I explain it to them as if it is a gam…

It's good advice, but I find it ironic. Keep your money. Stick it in an index fund. It'll get invested in Google, Facebook, Apple who make money from ... advertising their own or other people's products. To really be minimalist I think it's better (if less lucrative on average) to start your own business that takes a small chunk of business away from the giants, that you have ethical control over. It's getting harder…

Capitalism is fueled by consumerism. Even if some choose not to play the game (by consuming and producing only the strictly necessary) it's in their interest that others keep playing it.

Re: Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence

#210

Post by okr »

layoutIfNeeded wrote: post #157
okr wrote: post #102

I remember developing an App. And then we have talked about, how can we be seen. And then all my grudges on advertising disappeared. Thank god, that it exists.

Probably your app is not that special then. You know: build it, and they’ll come.* * If it’s worth it.

Maybe. Or the market is big.
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