Anthropology 295: Anthropology of Media

Expanding on the ideas of the movie we watched about advertisements…Clearly we realize now that advertisements are everywhere, and even if we don’t think so, they influence us. I have a hard time with this. I would like to think that I’m not easily influenced. But isn’t that what our society is all about: influencing others? Whether it be to buy something, or adopt a similar view, there is simply always something to gain when you have people on your side. How would cigarettes have become so popular if they weren’t made to look “cool” by mainstream media (movies, ads, etc.).
Although advertisements have permeated our lives for some time now, nowadays, they really are EVERYWHERE. When I watch a 2 minute video clip on cnn.com, I must first watch a 1 minute advertisement. This drives me crazy! Obviously, there is so much research conducted about the impact of media advertisements, that companies would only spend millions of dollars if they knew it would work. I think the point is…the reason that companies spend so much is that they know we cannot escape from their grasp. We can choose to “ignore” the annoying commercials and looming billboards…but we often still see the name of the company or product. And I believe that this is really all they want. The more they instill their name, even if there is no real connection, you will recognize the name in a store and hopefully buy the product. So I thought that I was safe from advertisements, but when I think about it…I don’t think anyone can completely ignore the messages. When I’m in the drug store, am I going to buy a brand of lotion that I have never heard of? Probably not… I’ll most likely buy dove, because wait…don’t they have some like cool ad campaign about real beauty?