By Hannah Field '27
“Just do it!”, “Taste the Rainbow”— slogans, jingles, posters, billboards, and videos are all distinct methods of capturing a consumer's attention. No matter if the item being advertised is an abstract concept or a simple package of multi-colored candy, the purpose of such a display is to grab the audience’s attention, appealing to anybody willing to invest their time, energy, and money into the thing being offered. As annoying as they can be, ads are brainwashing. When an advertisement wriggles its way into your brain, it stays there, and that’s what makes it so effective. The issue lies in the fact that, according to Webtribunal, the average person currently catches sight of anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day. Despite this surprisingly large quantity of ads, we barely remember a fraction of those ads. With the invention of ad-blocking software, blocking out unwanted ads has become more frequent, and even without such technology, human brains have filters that filter out irrelevant information to prevent information overload. Companies know this, and that is why they are seemingly in a perpetual race to gain viewers’ attention.
In the digital age, the most efficient way of getting messages across to younger generations, the most prevalent consumers, is through social media. Companies are no longer capable of capturing their target audience’s attention by simply putting up billboards or engaging through traditional media, so their last resort is to put as much effort into digital platforms as possible. Ads appear in nearly every form of
social media, brands are constantly working with influencers to create brand deals, and even unsponsored posts can manufacture a desire to consume.
The reason why we are drawn towards these advertisements is because of the way they are presented. Humans learn by observing their peers. We acquire select portions of our knowledge by analyzing the way other members of society function. When we see influencers living their lives and being content, perhaps even surpassing basic satisfaction, we tend to feel the need to follow their example. This is the psychology of influence. When an individual is still on the fence about what decision to make, witnessing the majority decision could easily persuade them into making the same choice, as there is always security in belonging with the crowd. Numerous conformity experiments have been conducted over the years, showing the world that peer pressure can be daunting. Saying this is not to criticize influencers, as the power held by influencers is often used simply for sharing their lives, creating motivation and inspiration for people following their platforms. A problem arises when people are influenced to keep consuming mindlessly to obtain this level of “productivity”, in turn gaining “satisfaction."
A myriad of problems can occur when it comes to the topic of productivity. Being productive would imply that one is highly capable of doing something in large amounts -- putting in input to gain output -- especially work. The general belief is that increasing one’s productivity would, in turn, help with their health and overall well-being, as well as ensure a “bright future”. Procrastination, stress, anxiety, insecurity, and so much more potentially harm any person currently trying to maintain a healthy student life. This is where productivity products come in. There are countless channels and platforms dedicated to teaching students “HOW TO BECOME A STRAIGHT A STUDENT!!”, or “HOW TO GET 4.0 GPA”, and multiple videos or photos putting together collections of “aesthetically pleasing” photos relating to what the “perfect” academic life should be, promoting the toxic ideology of always being productive and reinforcing the perception that sacrificing one’s wellbeing isn’t a big issue if “success” is at stake. Influencers in this category often endorse products that seem to increase their productivity: a narrative that an organized study space with neat study materials is the only way one can truly harness the ability to be productive is often presented within this internet sub-culture. Many viewers recognize that spending money on products that are unnecessary to productivity is careless, yet people are still easily influenced by this. Regular productivity is stumped by the idea that lavish products are needed to maintain a truly fulfilled life.
Social media does not accurately reflect productivity within a person’s life. Most of what we see online is curated to fit our taste, ensuring that we keep scrolling and scrolling, wanting more snippets of other people’s lives, lives that are surely better than our own, so we live vicariously through others. Truth is, productivity is not achieved by buying into consumerism, but rather by a multitude of qualities like self-discipline or time management, traits no person can buy. Ultimately, consumerism itself can bring advantages, as well as disadvantages, but the ideas online encompassing the notion can be toxic. In the end, how one utilizes their money is up to them, but every individual should be aware of the extent they are influenced by consumerism.
Sources: https://webtribunal.net/blog/how-many-ads-do-we-see-a- day/#:~:text=According%20to%20marketing%20experts%2C%20the,ads%20in%20a%20single%20day .
Senior Editor: Hanjing Wang '24
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