Advertising, marketing, propaganda. It programs people’s brains. It is extremely powerful.

There are dozens of these mass brain-programming campaigns going on right now. It’s been happening for many years … maybe centuries.

The effects can linger for many years. Even passing to the next generation.

  • I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
    48·
    8 days ago

    About a century, actually. Marketing began in the US after WWII WWI when we suddenly had the ability to create more products than people needed. People needed to be convinced to buy shit they didn’t need, and thus marketing was invented.

    The first notable marketing campaign was cigarettes for ladies in 1929. Cigarette companies were missing a whole section of consumers because women weren’t supposed to smoke, especially in public. A group of beautiful young models were hired to smoke cigarettes at a big important parade that was going to get lots of coverage in the newspaper. A reporter was paid to “report” on their “carefree” and “liberated” manner as they smoked “torches of freedom” out at the festivities. Equality, feminism, yay!

    Associating male virility with vehicle choice was next. Both were brain children of Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, who was very interested in his uncle’s ideas about people’s actions being influenced by their subconscious mind, before it was popular in America.

    This is a four hour documentary about the social manipulation of the last century, including the above, getting young progressives to vote for Regan in the 80s and much more. Century of the Self (BBC 2002)

  • Lv_InSaNe_vL@lemmy.world
    351·
    8 days ago

    I (straight male) think a woman smoking a cigarette is really really hot. Like it turns me feral when I see it.

    I have to constantly remind myself that is just marketing from cigarette companies haha

  • Dr. Bob@lemmy.caEnglish
    18·
    9 days ago

    Or theatre students. They used to send them out to act weird in public to get over feeling self conscious.

    • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
      8·
      9 days ago

      Are you sure that’s not just the innate weirdness of theatre students you’re seeing? Especially late-night coming down off the high of a show, singing and dancing in the Denny’s parking lot…🎶

      • Dr. Bob@lemmy.caEnglish
        3·
        8 days ago

        Midday on the subway. I knew someone who attended that school and it was literally part of intro performance.

  • rainrain@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
    183·
    9 days ago

    In all likelihood some of your own interests and habits were put there by a marketing department. Not because it’s good or right or useful but because it profited… somebody who could afford to hire a marketing department.

      • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
        41·
        8 days ago

        Scalpers and “investors” are starting to fight people for the product, and they will probably pry it out of your dead hands.

        • NOT_RICK@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          8 days ago

          Considering how rough most of the modern games are… I’m cool sticking mostly with romhacks

          • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
            1·
            8 days ago

            its so bad that even collector fans cant afford it, or they arnt willing to risk physical confrontation over it. people said tcpi can solve this by printing, and increasing the pull rate of rares.

  • gencha@lemm.ee
    142·
    8 days ago

    Social Media, just like all media, does not exist to “earn money with ads”, or even profile you. It is about being able to influence you through controlling the availability of content you don’t even realize. It doesn’t matter if you interact. All the other bullshit is intentionally published to distract, on media. Chat bots have a bias. They don’t exist to help you. They exist to control the responses.

    • rainrain@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      What percentage of the chatters here are bots? Reddit? Facebook?

      Just out of yr ass guess.

      I’ve come up against some strongly dominant-paradigm-defending responses a lot. So I wonder bot or just normal people.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
    8·
    9 days ago

    [off topic?]

    “The Source Of The Nile” by Avram Davidson. Science fiction short story.

    Ad man is always looking for the next big thing. One day he notices some kids wearing their sneakers cut up. A few days later he realizes that the fad has exploded. He patiently tracks down where the fad started. It turns out there’s one family that starts all the fads. It’s never explained why or how, just that somehow these people are the ones who decide what’s going to be popular for the rest of the world.

  • Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca
    2·
    9 days ago

    Alright, boys. Hear me out. You cut a hole on the inside of your pocket, put on your pants, then pull your penis through the hole so that it is emerging and/or hanging out of your pocket.

    • TBi@lemmy.world
      21·
      7 days ago

      I was going to disagree but not sure about cool. Bikes are fun to ride though. I miss mine.

      Looks like you posted this twice so I’m replying twice :)

  • rainrain@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
    214·
    9 days ago

    People who love to drive longs distances. People who love mayonnaise. People who react strongly at the mention of drugs.