In today’s society, advertising has become an integral part of people’s life. Now humans constantly exposure to different advertisements everyday whether on public transports, on social media or on TV . Some people believe that advertising simply provides people with useful information about new technologies and products. However, others argue that it does more harm than good. I strongly agree with this statement because of its adverse effect on people’s buying habits and encourages them to follow trends.
One reason why advertising encourages unncessary spending is that it creates needs that did not exist before. Many advertisements present products that seem to make people life more comfortable and succesful. When people see these advertisements everyday, they start regarding these products as an important thing. This, ultimately, changes people’s perception of what is truly necessary. For example, many smartphone companies promote new models of their products with slightly better cameras and faster processors then, advertise them widely. When people see these newly released models, they may feel like their current devices are outdated, even though they function perfectly well.
Another drawback of advertising is that it strongly influences individuals’ buying habits. In many societies, people tend to follow fashion trends and normally have their own social images. Many fashion industries constantly introduce different fashion trends and promote them widely through social media, TV programmes, and even well-known celebrities. When individuals see these advertisements, they feel the pressure to follow these trends and buy trendy clothes even if they have enough. This is particularly common among many youngesters. Besides that, advertsing creates ‘urgency’. Companies tend to offer special offers occasionally in order to attract more potential customers. When people do not buy things on discount, they tend to feel like they are missing a lot of opportunities, which results in unimportant consumption.
To conclude, although advertising is growing in popularity nowadays, I firmly believe it largely creates artificial needs and changes people’s attitude towards buying things. Advertising may prevent people from making wiser financial decisions because of their attractiveness and social image. So, people need to learn how to distinguish their needs from unimportant ones and maintain a balance when it comes to purchasing.