Entry nº 34: Advertising in our lives

Whether it is on TV, radio or hoardings at the side of the road, advertisements have become part of our lives. It is a powerful and persuasive medium which is considered not only a means of informing the public, but also a selling technique to encourage consumers to purchase products they do not really need.
One of the main arguments for advertising is that it generates wealth for a country. That is to say, taxes paid on goods sold, help governments to pay for essential services such as education and health care. Moreover, the number of jobs created for producing, marketing and servicing these goods helps to reduce unemployment. What is more, advertising raises money for a huge number of sporting events and artistic performances which would otherwise not be held. In other words, although consumerism is promoted through advertising, it can be beneficial to the whole society.
On the other hand, advertisements can cause people to be dissatisfied with what they already have, and make them want more. Being continually exposed to products which one cannot afford produces frustration and dissatisfaction among the less well-off. In addition to this, advertising reinforces materialism and causes people to place too much importance on material belongings, which in many cases are unnecesary. The fact that people are prepared to work long hours, or even turn to crime in order to gain the goods on offer, shows that advertising persuades people to go to great lengths to keep the same standard of living as those they see around them.
To sum up, while advertising is a valuable source of revenue for a country, it may create jealousy and inequality in society. Therefore, we must be critical and objective about what we watch and hear in advertisements to avoid succumbing to false hopes of being better off by buying a certain product.