Advertising
Douglas Rushkoff,
PBS.Org,
Jul 16, 2002
Douglas Rushkoff does not receive nearly the credit he deserves as one of the sharpest analysts of contemporary cyber-culture. Yet he is one of my favorite commentators and I quote from his work frequently in various talks and papers. This item is an excerpt from his book "Coercion: Why We Listen to What They Say" and contains an analysis of contemporary advertising consistent with the observations of Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein. Anyone who thinks that the science of advertising consists of nothing more than mindless repetition would do well to read this excerpt. And educators take note: we need to separate the advertisers' message - which is deeply disturbing - from their methodology - which is astonishingly effective. Understanding, for example, that advertisers prey on a person's lack of self worth gives an educator a point of attack in which to insert a counter-meme, a message of empowerment and sense of personal value.
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