The Harmful Effects of Commercilizng Media
In the 21st century, media has become a quintessential part of life, and a big reason is commercialization. While it is true that media has advanced quite a bit in the past decade, so too have marketing tactics. The most prominent commercialization in the media in the areas of alcohol and children. These are potentially the most harmful forms of commercialization in the media because of the widespread negative impact on society and the blatant disregard for monetary gain.
Some of the most aggressive marketing strategies are targeted at the youth. There was a time when a child would be asked what they want to become when they grow up, and the answer would've been a noble, almost glorious, pursuits such as becoming an astronaut or the president or a doctor. These days, if you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, the answer will often be a social media influencer. It's unclear how watching others do almost nothing of any real significance became a past time or how the act of never growing up became a career. It could be said that social media influencers are just new-age actors, but that doesn't seem right. Most successful actors, directors, etc., have attended college and aspire to ad an intellectual aspect to their work. While on the other hand, most social media influence lacks intellectual providence or any purpose other than turning a profit. The commercialization of media is taking away the youth's ambition to be great achievers, deep thinkers, and true innovators. the link below provides statistical facts to support the statement above regarding the harmful effects of the media on childhood.
https://union.discover.flvc.org/permalink.jsp?3774203472&ISSN=17522803
as you have found in the link, cigarette ads were banned from tv and radio decades ago. While alcohol is a mind-altering decision impairing substance, it remains in the forefront of almost every tv or movie we watch and is “essential” for enjoying yourself… the reality is that alcohol is not only a killer but a destroyer of “worlds that may seem a bit extreme however there are facts to back up the retort. For example,
Excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the United States each year, or 261 deaths per day. These deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of almost 29 years, for a total of 2.8 million years of potential life lost. It is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and cost the nation $249 billion in 2010.(www.cdc.gov, 2020)
despite these facts and the rest that accompany them on the CDC website, the alcohol industry's profit still appears to outway the cost of human life. When considering how society is negatively affected(i.e., abuse, neglect, and the degradation of an individual's health, be it mind or body), it is clear that alcohol is not in a progressive person's best interest. The reason something hasn't already been done is simple, America is a capitalist country, and alcohol makes money. not only do you spend money to drink, which costs more than the food theses days, but once a person is all “turnt” money flies out of the pocket… waking up like what happened then laughing because media has taught that not remembering parts of you life is somehow fun.. yay! Hopefully, you can tell that was sarcasm. The sad part is that most of us don't even realize what's happening, don't even realize that we want to go right for a beer, wine, or a mixed drink when doing, well, anything because that is what we are being taught. Out of a hundred channels, you could probably flip to sixty and find someone with some “libation.” Which actually dates back to antiquity as a “ritual pouring of a liquid to a diety” as a form of worship but has a modern meaning of “beverage containing alcohol”(both definitions courtesy of merriam-webster.com).
The main point is that the commercialization is harmful because when profit margins are the only line worried about crossing, morality and ethics become irrelevant. Some may say, “well, heck, that's just business”. Then I say keep business in the office and out of my home, out of my car, and out of my head. There is a time and place for everything, and not all commercialization is bad. Still, surely the commercialization needs to be strictly monitored with certain aspects prohibited due to society's negative effects. As a final reminder that your… only cool if you drink, please enjoy these clips of an iconic commercial!
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