Have you ever thought about how much less people would consume on a daily basis if the products were not advertised? Advertisement is a debatable topic, with individuals who believe it encourages unnecessary consumption, while others believe that the problem is not with the advertisement itself, but with the people who are prone to overconsumption. From my perspective, I am with the notion that some advertisements can cause more consumption than needed.
In my opinion, advertising can be misleading and tricky, especially for those who are easily influenced by others. For example, certain advertisements might claim that you need this shampoo for perfect, flawless hair, when in reality, the shampoo does not directly contribute to the image of “perfect hair.” Instead, it’s factors like the lighting in the ad, genetics, and other things that do not have anything to do with the shampoo itself. However, the illusion that the shampoo creates the “perfect head of hair” causes you to feel like you “need” this product. This “need” turns into overconsumption, as you are using a product that you do not need.
Another example is where you buy a product hoping it will make you feel like a celebrity or someone you idolize. Advertising encourages unnecessary consumption in movies or television, where you see a certain character advertising a specific product. Therefore, you feel as if, were you to buy this product, you would, in turn, feel like the character whom you idolize or look up to. When in reality, buying that product won’t make you feel any more like the character. The rush might last for just minutes, then you go back to being your usual, same self. This connects to my claim, as you did not gain anything real. Instead, you just bought a product in order to feel like someone else. This means that the specific advertisement led you to buy the product and overconsume, which leads back to my point.
In conclusion, certain genres of advertisements can lead to overconsumption, as advertisements can be misleading to those who are easily influenced, and in other cases, advertisements can make you buy a product, hoping it will make you feel like someone you idolize. If people are not aware of their shopping consumption, they might be an easy target for marketing agencies.