Like it or not, we live in a world ruled by the media. From the time we get up until we go to bed we suffer a continuous bombardment of messages from television, radio, internet or any type of advertising in the streets..
It is completely impossible to remain oblivious to these messages since they invade any space capable of hosting advertising, be it a real or virtual space. If we pay attention, we will observe a series of recurring themes or ideas in these messages.
These ideas are so strongly internalized in the collective imagination that we do not question them and consider them almost dogmas of faith. To question them, it is necessary to become aware of what we are seeing and hearing. However, gaining consciousness under such a planned and continued bombardment is nothing short of an impossible task..
When I speak of messages I am not referring exclusively to advertising and advertisements. Virtually any program that we find on TV, including the news, implicitly conveys these ideas. They are ideas so persuasive that they become difficult to ignore and easy to internalize..
Next I will try to comment on some of these negative ideas so that you can identify them and consciously decide to accept or ignore them..
The urge to buy has become a reflex action elicited by the media.
Reflex acts are those that occur outside of our consciousness and lead us to take action without questioning what we are doing. There is nothing that produces greater happiness than buying you a car that even your boss cannot afford and parking it next to him.
Just for that little moment of happiness you are able to go into debt up to your eyebrows for several years. In the absence of a boss, the neighbor or brother-in-law on duty will always appear willing to measure his ego with you. It doesn't matter if you have everything you need to be happy.
The media tells you that true happiness lies in having more than your neighbor. That is, your happiness does not depend on you, but on how much money your neighbor is willing to spend. Big bussiness.
The lie is not that they tell you that your body is imperfect, but that they sell you that you have to buy certain products so that it stops being so. Cosmetic products have been renamed "beauty products" that look better and sell more.
Not to mention anti-aging creams, wrinkle creams, slimming lotions, miracle diets named after their creator, and a long etcetera. The other day I saw the announcement of a new diet that is causing a sensation in the USA: "The 17-day diet." And I wonder: When does the 18th arrive, what do you do? Do you go back to eating as usual or do you have to go back to dieting again? But who can believe this? Have they really managed to brainwash us?.
I don't understand why it is so difficult for us to use common sense. There are no miracle remedies, much less when it comes to your body. Our grandmothers already said it: "hurries are bad advisers". Is it so hard to always eat in a balanced way and do some sport?? We want it all here and now and then we are surprised that at some ages certain widespread diseases begin to appear.
Continuing with the theme of the imperfection of our bodies, I could not stop commenting on the well-known television commercials and their fantastic passive fat-burning gadgets. And I say liabilities because you don't have to do anything. You can be quietly watching TV or reading a book while the device works silently sculpting your body. And all this without losing a drop of sweat.
When you think these ads can't sink any lower, they suddenly surprise you and manage to outdo themselves. The other day I saw one in which they advertised a device to secretly place in the ear and be able to listen to conversations that do not go with you. And it was not for the deaf. They exemplified it by an actress with a statuesque body walking along the beach while two girls comment from afar how wonderful it would be to have a body like hers. Our protagonist smiles as her new acquisition has allowed her to listen to the entire conversation. This announcement is very complete. In just 1 minute they have sold us sex, competition, consumerism, beauty, and happiness.
Despite being in the air for many years, the format and message of the telemarketing ads remains the same. And this only means one thing: we continue to buy those products.
This point is closely related to the previous point. The world is full of opportunities to get laid and find the partner of your life. It is up to you to buy certain products so as not to waste those opportunities.
A cologne, deodorant, or cosmetic surgery. Anything goes as long as we don't stay alone for the rest of our lives. Yet they forget to tell us that building a lasting relationship takes much more than physical attraction. But of course, knowing someone for real is not something that happens overnight but requires some time and effort..
A time and effort far superior to the pathetic courtships that we see in "Men, women and vice versa", famous program known for the incessant parade of tanned bodies in gyms and operating rooms. But yes, then their mouths are filled saying that They are looking for someone who loves them inside.
I could go on at length talking about these issues. As you may have observed, everything is interrelated: consumption, sex and happiness. It is very difficult to separate some categories from others. Consumption leads to sex and sex leads to happiness. And the truth is that as long as you are aware of what you are seeing, there is nothing wrong with it.
The problem arises when we think that the only possible reality is the one we observe through that little window that we call television. There is another world out there quite different. Behind the TV networks there are political and corporate interests that seek to sell their products. And everything sells, even the news.
Without pretending to make an exhaustive analysis, today we can observe that the news is divided between information sponsored by companies / government along with negative news, murders, mistreatment and natural disasters that seek to provoke fear in the population. Although that would be another topic. All this interspersed with other news of more general interest such as the wedding of the Duchess of Alba or the new Justin Bieber doll in the muppets.
Here I leave the topic. And that I studied advertising.
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