EQ#11 How is psychology used to convince the public to purchase advertised products or agree with published facts or opinions?

According to Google dictionary, the definition of advertisement is a notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service or event or publicizing a job vacancy. Let’s check out more definition from different source, according to Merriam-webster dictionary, the meaning of advertisement is something that is shown or presented to the public to help sell a product or to make an announcement. These definitions are absolutely correct. However, these two definitions merely represent the positive side of advertisement. There are always two sides: negative and positive sides of objects. For instance, smartphones are one of the most innovative products twenty-one century invented. Nevertheless, smartphones trigger users to have all kinds of health problems and also social problems. Just like I said, advertisements also have negative side. Can we distinctively say that advertisements hold merits for all people? I will say they don’t. Copy writers employ psychology facts/terms to convince the public to purchase advertised products or agree with published facts or opinions. I don’t take psychology class, so I am not sure whether I am saying the right thing or not. But, what I am thinking is that using psychology to convince people to buy products is basically deceiving people. Frankly, to me advertising does not seem so reasonable. As our world initiated to evolve abrupter and better, what we, people need the most are the truth, genuine respect, justice, and peace. Yet, people are ignoring the truth, genuine respect, justice and peace for their own goods. Let’s take companies that sell tobacco, cigarettes, beers, instant foods (such as, McDonalds, Fat burgers, etc) as examples. Those above products are known to everyone as products that destroy our bodies, healths and sometimes social connections. But, we still notice their advertisements from television, magazines, newspapers, and even in books we read. Soon, these advertisements brainwashes us. This is ethnically wrong. Just because of their money, fortune, finance, company, and etc (basically for only their own goods), they are playing around with their customers’ life and death. To help you, readers and myself to comprehend this easily, I will take poor people as an example. There are always target audience/customers for each products. Sometimes, an advertised product for rich people can also lure poor people as well. In this world/society we are living in MONEY is what everyone need the most <yeah…. I can’t believe how greedy we are>. Even so, if buyers waste their money on something they don’t really need. It is a HAPPY thing for sellers. Yet, this act is a disaster for poor people.

So, is it a right thing to convince <when advertisements already brainwashed people then it is forcing them to buy their products> customers to purchase products or totally agree with published facts or opinions? Again, no.

 

SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO TO AVOID BEING INFLUENCED BY ADVERTISED PRODUCTS:

1. Make sure to ask/double check with people who already have used the product.

2. Make sure to know all about the background. Also, make sure to gain that information from the right source.

3. Don’t completely trust just because the brand is well known. Not everything you hear is the truth.

4.Never get deceived from the exaggerated advertising.

5. Don’t let those pictures or price that tempted you control you.

6. Be realistic!

7. Don’t let people around you influences you regarding the product. Just because they are affected by it doesn’t mean you should too. [from set of guideline activity <Sea Yeon and Anneesha>]

{I found a really good website for everyone to read before going to SHOPPING :)} —–> http://lifehacker.com/5824328/how-advertising-manipulates-your-choices-and-spending-habits-and-what-to-do-about-it

 

To conclude, I would like to state this again, “What we, all of us need the most are TRUTH, GENUINE RESPECT, JUSTICE and PEACE.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDi4hBWsvkY <- I watched this documentary (its 9 minutes long but YOU WON’T REGRET WATCHING IT) in IB Film class and IT TOUCHED MY HEART DEEPLY. AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF GOOD EXAMPLES OF ADVERTISING. <I hope you LOVE it Mrs. Mirecka>