Marketing and Advertising Prey on People
Think for a minute about how many commercials we watch across our lives. We wouldn't even be able to put a number on how many times we've been subject to some corporations fishing attempt. And how effective is the bait! Money is poured into marketing and advertising in every major business. It must be doing something substantial to boost sales!
Marketing and advertising are fields which are built around getting into someone's head and using that information to manipulate them for profit. In the tribal history we all come from, this would be the equivalent to hunting your own brothers and sisters for food. It's madness! When we're competing against each other, we all lose! Centralization resulting in pyramids of people who have and deserts of people who do not. It is only through decentralized, cooperative efforts that we can overcome the problems we face as a species.
As it currently stands, we're fighting an uphill battle. There is a force which culture has on each of us. This force is a positive feedback cycle: every time someone is influenced by the culture, they will in turn reinforce the culture. Memes are a great example of this. How often do simple images go viral as a result of triggering a response from the people they reach?
This is an crucial sociological effect that everyone needs to be aware of. Everything from corporate advertisements, to government propaganda, to every conversation and piece of information we digest, including this post, has a cumulative effect on our global culture. As each of us is raised under the influence of this culture, we wind up unconsciously being vessels for a variety of informational parasites.
The idea of The Matrix comes to mind. How many people are functionally hypnotized by the culture they grew up in, just following the programming they've downloaded? If someone is not aware of the power they are giving up when they mindlessly consume culture, they become brainwashed. Literally. They will come to identify with whatever has influenced them the most. When confronted with opposing information (politics are a good example of this), their ego defense mechanisms come online, and shut down their ability to even wrap their head around this new information.
As long as companies are competing to have control of our minds, we can't make the sorts of changes we need to make. It's like trying to bail out a boat with a thimble when there's a torrent pouring in! This does not mean our situation is hopeless: it simply means we need to implement an indirect strategy.
The solution then is to take our own minds back! Only then will we have access to our fullest potential to serve the world. As Marshal Mcluhan said, “The medium is the message.” What we choose to consume through our eyes and ears ultimately becomes what is on our minds. We cannot passively consume advertisements and have control of our inner worlds. We must be mindful of what we fill our lives with. This is how we grow more conscious. We can choose how we grow ourselves. We give up this power when our neurons are bouncing a catchy jingle back and forth.
Agency really is a skill, and our will power is a muscle like any other. When we resist the temptation of the corporate soma, we are exercising our ability to think for ourselves. In taking back our minds, we take back much of our time. Finally free to pursue their authentic goals, a person can find themselves feeling like they have super powers. With clear mind and intention, our potential to act and grow dwarfs what is possible under the spell of The Matrix. When those people still lost to the cultural forces see enough people thriving in an alternate lifestyle, they will shake themselves loose from their programming.
This is the type of strategizing that needs to be going on. The sociological and psychological information that advertisers use to steal a few more pennies from people's pockets should instead be used to educate people. Imagine a world where the sociopaths were replaced with people who genuinely wanted everybody to live their best possible lives. We would collectively leap forward to a paradise on Earth. Sadly, we do not have a magic wand to make this happen, but we can be the change we want to see in the world. Throw away old labels and ways of thinking and seek true authenticity for your own freedom.
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