Information vs. Manipulation

Our society has been exposed to such negative advertisement throughout the years. I, personally, believe that advertising takes a more manipulative approach when it comes to informing their viewers. Among the logical fallacies, advertising appeals to people’s emotions since they tend to take a much liberal approach when showcasing their product. Once we think about it, they are not selling their product, rather manipulating their audience to false information. Most products are often bought and are often futile.

Children specifically are fooled and convinced by ads in general. The advertising industry wouldn’t be concerned if possibly harmful items are being bought by minorities. Many statistics show that there are many more ads for children than there are for adults. For instance, toy ads primarily allure children to buying violent video games that are not necessary for simple entertainment. Children are being used as the focal point for intense advertising since advertisers seek to acquire billions of dollars from their beloved parents. Marketing techniques have surely taken a toll on desperate promotion.

Although advertisements are quite hard to disregard, there are certain methods in which people can act cautiously when it comes to advertising persuasion. For example, when viewing billboards, infomercials, or just ads in general, try to picture yourself with or without the product and carefully determine if this product is necessary for your physiological needs. To prevent telemarketers from calling your house, you could do one of the following: Hang up on them, pretend they got the wrong number, or even speak a different language. No matter what we choose to do, it’s always good to take precautions when we are being fooled by useless ads.

If you happen to like a certain product and are considering purchasing it, it is best to do extensive research on its pros and cons. Something that could be helpful is exploring submitted reviews and ratings online from other past customers. Another approach is if you know someone that has used the product before, make sure to get their input as well. No matter what we do advertising is and will always be relatively deceiving in our eyes.