Recently I have been part of conversations about the impact of social media marketing messages as well as the opinions of users that are taken as fact. Some thought is that viewers must be very gullible, while other ideas involve the overwhelming nature of the information age that may lead people to grasp onto anything that sounds good to them. The level of science literacy has also been called into question when the topic of interest is food or nutrition. One friend noted that it seems incongruous that people ordering at a gluten free bakery seemed surprised that there was sugar and fat in the cookies. Kimmel noted that people who choose not to eat gluten aren't sure what gluten is or what it does. (you may check out that video on youtube).
Mass media (including electronic media) run on advertising sales. Each day we run into innumerable marketing messages -- TV commercials, billboards, buses, logos on clothes, ads on social media sites, magazines, and so much more. How can this not have an impact on how we view ourselves and the world? Much has been written lately by advocates to reduce the exposure of marketing to children. While this may be part of the solution, reducing exposure for all age groups is necessary. Adults and educated people are still affected -- it isn't just those other people -- it is each of us. I research this subject area, and I am affected by ads. The commercial nature of our world can't be avoided.
The lyrics of the selection for today outline a potential impact of commercialism, that of superficiality. It does this in an upbeat way with an iconic singer. Enjoy!
Material Girl -- Madonna
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