Sociology - How does advertising function as a system of indoctrination - Essay Example

Sociology How does advertising function as a system of indoctrination? What would Marx be likely to say about the role of advertising under capitalism, and how would Freud relate advertizing with the basic derives of Eros and Thanatos? Explain Bill Moyer’s comment, “commercial is the communion wafer of the marketplace”. Analyze two ads from a newspaper, magazine, or TV, in terms of the themes discussed in the video. Advertising is a marketing tool which creates artificial needs and wants in the minds of consumers or convinces them about certain views by creating illusions (“The Ad and the Ego”). These illusions are disseminated by the elite class of the society who impose their doctrines on the other non power holders, even if they have a differing point of view; it is never shown. Buying the things being advertised won’t lead to the satisfactions or happiness of people, rather it is just an illusion created by the mass media to satisfy the needs of the elite class who want to sell their products to these ordinary consumers (“The Ad and the Ego”). This is application on the concept of indoctrination, which means teaching someone to accept some beliefs uncritically. Advertising functions as a system of indoctrination because it only highlights specific ideas, attitudes, views or beliefs and hiding or obscuring other. These beliefs which are most usually preferred and shown through mass media are of a particular class, which is the elite class of any society. These are the institutions, big corporations or governmental positions, which hold the power in the country and dominate all the decisions of the society by controlling the essential resources and holding the authority. Karl Marx had similar views as those in the video discussed above, which he has discussed under capitalism. He said that popular culture or Bourgeoisie are dominating the political ideologies and power structures and that ordinary people’s needs served the interests of the dominant class. The dominant class includes capitalists who control both the supply and demand in the market. Supply is controlled by them as they are the producers of the goods in the market, but demand is also influenced by their control over the media they use to manipulate people’s perception of what they need. This role of media here is the role of advertising as being a distraction for the ordinary man and diverting his needs and wants by molding them in such a way so as to satisfy the needs of the dominant class. Advertising like newspapers, television etc makes the powerful visible and makes the ordinary people hear and follow what the elite class wants them to by creating a distraction in their needs and wants. Thus Marx would have said the same about advertising that, it is present in such a plentiful amount all over around us and everywhere that it has created a consumer culture, fostering those desires or wants and needs in people which are not there originally. They have inculcated into our lives and have started controlling ourselves, our views, attitudes, lifestyles everything. Another philosopher Sigmund Freud believed that advertising manipulates people wants. He related advertising to an idea which shapes desires in humans of certain products using symbols. Now these symbols are related to the primary drives of Eros (sex or life) and Thanatos (aggression or death), two basic drives which motivate all thoughts, emotions and behaviors in humans (“Drives, Structural and Topographical Models”). A person’s life is based on these two instincts which produce different reactions or emotions and behaviors in them. It encompasses the entire concept of survival, which means to stay alive, reproduce and protect from those who hinders or harms these motives i.e. of sex or aggression (“Drives, Structural and Topographical Models”). Using sex appeal of females or males as a symbol in advertisement by exposing their bodies or by engaging them in certain poses develops a desire in the consumers about the product being advertised by such ads. Advertisers use Eros and make sexy ads because they want to get to the vulnerability of humans who are weak and have strong instincts for this bodily need. Marketers by hitting such a weak point to their formation captures them and makes them addictive of these products by constantly producing such attention grabbing ads and promoting their product as the one which can make the satisfaction of this need easy for them. For e.g. it is commonly used in cigarette’s ad like Silk Cut uses this strategy to lure people into buying cigarettes, which is otherwise a life taking addiction. Thanatos is also used in advertising because violent acts often attract youth and are preferred by them because it gives them an image of heroism which they want to see in themselves. E.g. of such ads are those in which a attractive guy who uses the product being advertised saves a pretty girl or fights with the bad people and helps a weak person. Every person wants to see himself as handsome, brave and tough by being able to protect others from harming them. By relating advertising with these concepts, advertisers touch the vulnerability of a common man who has these desires most strong in him and creates an artificial need for that product. Bill Moyers also shared the same view as that of Max, Freud and the one discussed in the video The Ad and the Ego. He pointed out that public image and life has become a media show in where the advertiser portrays only the image he wants to portray, by using false and deceiving commercials. Bill Moyers statement “The commercial is the communion wafer of the market place” point to the creation of imagery, which mediates what people know, feel or think of themselves, of politics, businesses and overall American culture. He said that market was dominated by visual imagery, and there is no essence of freedom or democracy left even in a democratic state like that of America. People just have the right to choose from a wide range of fabricated images created by the advertisers. This can be explained by the example of the role of communion. It is a part of the sacrament of the Christians and they celebrate it in accordance with the Jesus Christ’s instructions by receiving bread and wine on every Mass to remember Jesus last supper with his disciple. It is compulsory for them to celebrate it as the essence of this ritual is to create a relationship between Christians with each other and with God and Jesus. The communion establishes a link between Christians and with Jesus which makes them feel pure and faithful to him, same way commercials have become necessary to the creation of public imagery in the market place. These advertisements create a link with people and make them think that consuming the particular product will lead to their happiness and peace. Even if we, being the common people think and analyze the effect of advertisements, we will echo the views of those of the great people mentioned above. For e.g. if we pick out two ads advertised in TV, one of any clothing brand like maybe Levis and another of any cell phone ad like Samsung. Both are focused on commercializing different products, but both uses the same theme of attracting customers by creating a false image on the minds of consumers of paying a rather high price to buy the product which will lead to their satisfaction of happiness. The Samsung galaxy ad shows a guy who is having the best days of his life by hiking or being on remote places and enjoys fully from all the worldly luxuries even being at such places because of his exotic cell phone. This raises a craze among people, especially the youth to get such a life and such fun as the guy in the ad who also appears really good looking (use of Eros). Another newspaper ad showing of Levis targets males and females of different age groups by showing them that their dressing style is old and not in dated rather they must try the new look provided by Levis to appear younger, beautiful, hot and appear tempting to their partners. Same propaganda is used in the ads of beauty creams or lotions or other cosmetic items, focusing on sex appeal, which increases after their use for e.g. Nivea Whitening Lotion or maybe Axe deodorants making you appear so lucrative and seductive to the opposite gender that you become irresistible, thus once again hitting the basic drive or instinct of Eros. Both these items are not affordable for everyone, but they are made so attractive that even those who can’t afford these buys them somehow. Again, both these ads created a false illusion in the minds of people that buying these products would make them happy to satisfy the needs of the rich class businessman who are the producers of these products. 2) How does religion aid in the process of socialization and how does the absence of religion make a difference in society? Conversely, what would happen if Jesus’s original teachings were taken seriously today in America? What is the difference between religion and spirituality? Give examples from your own life in which religion or lack of religion made a difference to you, and analyze why it did. Socialization is a never ending, life-long process whereby an individual develops his personality, his values, norms, behavior, and attitude and understands his cultures, which are all needed to make him a functioning member of society (“Baxamus”). The process of socialization starts from the birth of a child. In his early life, the child is socialized by his family, especially the mother who teaches him how to speak when at home and outside, manners, etiquettes, values and norms of society, and most importantly gives him his identity, which is his religion (“Baxamus”). As the child grows, he is socialized by several social institutions like schools, religious schools, college, universities, etc (“Baxamus”). Here the child learns what to do and what to avoid from, the activities to indulge in and to restrain from, which are guided by the religion passed to him. It’s the core belief on which a person is comprised. Religion is one of the basic agents of socialization (“Baxamus”). Religion controls one’s entire way of life from his eating habits to his community and the choice of peers or friends. Overall, it governs all aspects of one’s life and enables a person to distinguish between right and wrong thus turning into a positive and useful member of society. Without the existence of religion, there would be no guiding principle for people, and they will resort to such evil acts as violence or sexual relationships with others, negative peer pressure and other bad influences because religion puts a limit on the conduct of an individual. They guide the manner of speech, dressing, language even method of doing businesses such as determines which job to take or not. E.g. Muslims follow the religion of Islam, which refrains it from such activities as alcohol, drugs etc, and defines the code of dressing to be followed not revealing any parts of body and to eat halal foods and take up jobs in institutions where interest is not applied. This view is shared by Karl Marx even though he was not a very religious person but in his quote, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people” he is putting forth the idea of how religion aids mankind (“Marx, 1843”). Marx believed that religion gives mankind a peace and a security in his time of need, that is, if a man is in pain and wants to get rid of his pain, he must come close to God who provides him solace by producing illusions of a happy after life (“Marx, 1843”). The importance of religion as one’s complete code and conduct of life is emphasized by even Jesus Christ, who taught to believe in one God who is eternal and most powerful. Jesus original teachings taught Christians to be so kind and nice to people of all religions that other people could guess just from your right behavior that you are a Christian. He taught to love one another as He (god) loves his people, to respect your parents and help your siblings when they are going through a bad time. He taught Christians to stay away with their families in thick and thin and to respect the institution of marriage, to protect oneself from adultery, alcohol and nudism. He also taught to have strong faith and said that if you search you will find, if you knock the door will open but you must have faith, to be forgiving, to give alms, to be pious and do charity, to never break your promises, and fulfill the rights of neighbors. He said to his people not to just listen but to follow and obey all the teachings of God and to have a good conduct in this world as the behavior of both living and dead is going to be judged in the hereafter. Moreover, he taught not to worry about the worldly facilities and to take care of the hereafter and pray sincerely and fast with honesty to gain rewards in the afterlife and to get a place in the heaven, not to worry about tomorrow and just live a devoted, satisfied and happy life according to the will of God. However, If Jesus’ original teachings were followed and practiced in today’s America, then people would not have been in a sort of competition for money or power or some other way to find their satisfaction, i.e. they would not have been running in the search of happiness. Religion teaches people how to be satisfied with whatever they have got in life and be happy about it. It focuses not on worldly desires but rather on spirituality and love of relations which one earns in this life. If American society follows and commits to religion they will get saved from many of the wrong deeds such as alcohol, sexual indulgences and evil acts of revenges, crimes, etc. which they take out in order to win the race and competition of this capitalistic world. If a person adopts a religion closely, then they will be saved from many of the problems in his or her life like fights, divorces as religion emphasizes a great deal on family and marriage, there will be an air of respect and coordination and peace because people will stay happy. With religion comes satisfaction and thus happiness because one is not running after the worldly affairs rather he is taking care of his ever after life by religion and being a good person. A good person will love and respect and not be after money and power and therefore will contribute positively towards the overall society. If the whole American society follows a religion, the entire society will prosper. To understand and follow a religion is tough. Therefore people often confuse the concept of religion and spirituality. The difference between these two concepts is that religion only pertains to one god, meaning that a person can choose to be part of one, single religion and not more than one. Religion is a system which guides a person’s entire life and all his habits. There are many religions in this world, and we have to choose among them to be a part of one. This is in contrary to the concept of spirituality, which is not an organized method of worship; rather it is a notion which is based upon the concept of knowing our spirit and ourselves. When we get aware of our own spirit, we find an inner peace as we are no more scared of acceptance by others or focused on social status, possession of things, etc. we find an inner fulfillment and find god near us, in our spirits. Spirituality refers to the belief in justice and right no matter who says it and, which is not bounded by any guidelines. It is to find a peace and closeness to god within one self whereas religion believes in just one god who is the supreme power and to follow our lives according to him, which automatically gets us away from other religions. To follow and understand a religion is very hard as I mentioned above and this was the exact problem I faced in my teenage life when I had no know-how of any religion, nor I believed in it. I was only indulged into worldly affairs and like everyone else was trying to find my happiness by the worldly things. Lost in my wilderness, I didn’t care about people or being right and just and basically could not differentiate between right and wrong. I enjoyed my life for quite a while drinking, with friends and earning and school. Everything was going the same way unless a death occurred in our family, and we had to go to church where the priest gave his words about the importance of the adoption of religion. Hearing him made me realize how empty my life was, how hollow we as humans have got from inside because of just one thing, that is, the lack of religion in our lives. We are all just running for more things than others, for a higher status quo and reputation, running for things we don’t have and for things we want. And in this chase, we never see what we have and what we are losing. This inability to see the things have made us unsatisfied and unhappy. This is because we quest for more and more and this quest never ends. Happiness comes from love and respect and morality which our religion gives us because it teaches us how to love and be nice and good to others. No matter what religion we belong to, all religions guide our lives for better, to find inner peace and to have faith in God. When we behave well and love, we receive that back too, and this humbleness satisfies us. A religion limits our evil sides and brings out our beauty and purity. It gives our lives a purpose which is to follow its teachings and achieve peace in the hereafter and satisfaction and happiness which can never be gained from worldly affairs. Works Cited Drives, Structural and Topographical Models. AllPsych and Heffner Media Group, Inc, 2011. Web. 7 July. 2013. . Baxamus, Batul. Agents of Socialization. Buzzle.com, 2012. Web. 7 July 2013. . Read More