Advertising with its long history of contributing to the development of marketing and society in general is still one of the most prevalent means for manufacturers to convey messages about their products to consumers. However, this might lead to an ominous phenomenon in which people’s thoughts and perceptions tend to be heavily influenced by advertisements, which could result in false beliefs due to misleading information and potentially harm them. From my point of view, I agree with this statement based on several reasons and examples that will be elaborated in this essay.
To begin with, with their widespread popularity, advertisements can be found nearly everywhere, namely train stations, movie theatres, supermarkets, public restrooms, lamp posts, and even the Internet, which allows companies to easily reach people and manipulate them in whatever way they want. This will adversely affect customers’ lives in different aspects including health, lifestyle, and finance, if this marketing approach is used for immoral purposes. For example, if there was an incorrect or incomplete description of a medicinal product, a patient who take it might suffer from any arisen side effect due to improper use.
Besides, that advertisements severely impact people’s opinions not only causes misbelief among them but also destroys their critical thinking ability. By eliminating the possibilities in which other perspectives may not favour them, marketers force the audience to trust their content and put away a number of reliable sources of information. To illustrate, that a certain poisonous substance is declared to be removed from the original product is a common strategy widely used by many famous brands in the food and beverage industry, but it is not always the case.
In a nutshell, advertisements are one of the best for businesses to expand their coverage. Nevertheless, this marketing means can be detrimental to its customers, not only in terms of the negative consequences on their daily lives but also with regard to their mindsets and development. Therefore, it is crucial that people be aware of the downside of advertising, thus receiving and using insights selectively.