Is there no way out of commercialism?

Use this forum to have philosophical discussions about aesthetics and art. What is art? What is beauty? What makes art good? You can also use this forum to discuss philosophy in the arts, namely to discuss the philosophical points in any particular movie, TV show, book or story.
Post Reply
XavierAlex
Posts: 307
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 10:56 am

Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by XavierAlex »

I remember not so long ago films and TV shows rarely did product placements. Now in just about every film, a notable and visible product is shown. This kind of endorsement I see all the time. Before films in theaters there were no commercials and now there are. Youtube seemed like it would not need advertising, but it does.

Am I the only one who finds commercials and advertising to be warped? I mean I grew up just like many watching TV and sitting through eons of commercials, but I look back and those 5 minutes between a TV show seem like such a waste. I thought eventually this would die out, but then advertisers started slapping brands onto sports games.

I haven't studied the effects of commercialism on art and entertainment, but it can't be good. Whether it's billboards on the highway or banners on the computer screen, advertising is certainly embraced. But we all know that the smiling model is a ruse and in a lot of ways commercials and advertisements are downright disingenuous.

Is there no way out of ads and commercials?

I mean commercials and ads are clearly after one thing and one thing alone, so why do we as audiences accept this treatment by different mediums?
Steve3007
Posts: 10339
Joined: June 15th, 2011, 5:53 pm

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by Steve3007 »

The trouble is, there's a law of diminishing returns. The more channels of information to which we have access, and the fewer viewers each individual channel attracts, and the more it becomes possible to use recording technology to skip the commercials, the more commercials they have to display/broadcast, to try to get the same return from them. Each commercial has less and less impact so there have to be more and more of them, with the logical end-point being an infinite number of ultra-low budget commercials with zero viewers.

There's also an arms race between the advertisers who have to find ever more ingenious and invasive ways of forcing us to watch their products and the viewers who get more and more adept at learning how to avoid watching them. E.g. I subscribe to the music streaming service called Spotify. I use the free version which means I have to listen to a commercial every three songs or so. I tried turning off the speakers on my computer during the ads. But they're on to that. Their software must detect the "speaker mute" state and pause the ad until I turn it back on again. Nifty.

The only way around it is for us as consumers to accept that information has to be paid for. Pay the subscription. Watch non-commercial subscription funded TV channels (like the BBC).

Of course, on the plus side, it could be pointed out that commercialism is art and entertainment. Everything is a commerical.

This post has been brought to you in association with Coca Cola. Always the real thing.
XavierAlex
Posts: 307
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 10:56 am

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by XavierAlex »

See, where you're wrong is that Plato endorses Pepsi :D

No but seriously, I agree with you in a lot of ways. But commercialism and advertising are so pervasive (and have always been) that in the future, it seems, you could find ads everywhere. But what if you did find an ad in Plato's Republic, saying that the latest brand of soap is great or in Sartre's On Being and Nothingness there is an ad for Lucky Brand cigarettes. What would this tell you? Would you find this source to be credible and legitimate? I wouldn't.

And if I walked into a courtroom and the judge has on his cloth a logo of Redbull, I would positively fear for my rights. And yet commercialism and advertising are touted Everywhere.

I don't spend my money to see a 120 minute commercial, I hope. I spend my money to see a feature-length film. I think advertisers try to make commercials on the radio and TV and films as humorous and entertaining as possible, but I wouldn't consider them art. Reason: like propaganda, ads are directed for the express purpose of making me aware of some product so I can shell out dough for it. Art doesn't usually, usually have a one-dimensional message. If it does then it's usually pretty bad.

It's kind of sad to me, because in this period of time where social media is the rage, suddenly self-promotion and endorsing of individuals are ever important in people's lives. If I have a law firm, just to promote it I have to go on social media sites and promote it. Good news with that is that it's cheaper and maybe better promo. But ultimately, people are becoming the products of their own self-promotion. The more "friends" and "likes" you have the more your chance of success is. While there are positives and negatives to this, I don't see the art here; self-promotion is a business, not an art.

This post was brought to you by Tang. Even on the moon they drink Tang.
Fleetfootphil
Posts: 277
Joined: May 25th, 2012, 9:33 pm

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by Fleetfootphil »

"Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a person living in a city 30 years ago saw up to 2,000 ad messages a day, compared with up to 5,000 today."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/busin ... d=all&_r=0
XavierAlex
Posts: 307
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 10:56 am

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by XavierAlex »

Wow, staggering numbers. I think it may even be more because I see endorsing to be a form of commercialism. So the judge may have a big fat erudite endorsement in a frame on his chamber wall. Or this psychiatrist may jog with a Harvard sweatshirt on. Everywhere commercialism infects, especially the art world. But I refuse to believe that a masterpiece can be an advertisement. Moby Dick or War and Peace were not created out of an enterprising spirit. Sure, like anything they were sold and still are. I understand it is impossible to escape and I've m just as guilty of advertising. I guess in the end its a necessary evil, but doesn't it warp our minds? I mean 5,000 messages per day of buy this or buy that. I wish someone would jump in here because if commercialism makes products of everything, in feminist terms, it def ain't good. In "journalistic" terms, what does this mean too? Getting your news from your personal choice sponsor. But that's life I guess.

This post can be sung along with Madonna's "Material Girl"
Fleetfootphil
Posts: 277
Joined: May 25th, 2012, 9:33 pm

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by Fleetfootphil »

If not for ads, who would pay for everything? Ads are just a way to make us pay, although it seems at a distance of atmleast once removed. Sometimes they inform us of new and cool stuff that we need to know about.
User avatar
Chasw
Posts: 153
Joined: September 1st, 2012, 9:13 am
Favorite Philosopher: GWF Hegel
Location: Seattle, USA
Contact:

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by Chasw »

XavierAlex wrote:I remember not so long ago films and TV shows rarely did product placements. Now in just about every film, a notable and visible product is shown. This kind of endorsement I see all the time. Before films in theaters there were no commercials and now there are. Youtube seemed like it would not need advertising, but it does.

Am I the only one who finds commercials and advertising to be warped? I mean I grew up just like many watching TV and sitting through eons of commercials, but I look back and those 5 minutes between a TV show seem like such a waste. I thought eventually this would die out, but then advertisers started slapping brands onto sports games.

snip...I mean commercials and ads are clearly after one thing and one thing alone, so why do we as audiences accept this treatment by different mediums?
XA: Commercialism, and its parallel, consumerism, are not new. Consider Marshall McLuhan's seminal work "The Mechanical Bride", published 1951. Therein, he goes into some detail about the effects of mass marketing and advertising on society, an excellent read, highly recommended. With modern communications media, these influences are even more pervasive today, as you point out.

I for one do not find advertising to be warped. Often ridiculous or offensive, but still a high form of art. In my youth, I dreamed of a career on Mad avenue, but alas I was not persistent enough. Advertising simply reflects the society its pitching to, a rather unattractive picture in many respects. The marketeers spend countless hours understanding us and discerning the messages that tweak our interest. In a perverse way, we deserve what we get. - CW
The central question of human existence is not why we are here, but rather why we behave the way we do - http://onhumanaffairs.blogspot.com/
XavierAlex
Posts: 307
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 10:56 am

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by XavierAlex »

advertising only means that we need to be reminded of money in our lives.
User avatar
Theophane
Posts: 2349
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:03 am
Favorite Philosopher: C.S. Lewis
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Is there no way out of commercialism?

Post by Theophane »

Who knows? Greed is what drives the pistons of commercialism, or capitalism to give it its proper name. Greed, avarice, fear (of not having enough material possessions), stupidity (caused by the belief that consuming/buying will make us happy) and loathing (of those who have more things than we do).
Post Reply

Return to “Philosophy of the Arts and Philosophy in the Arts”

2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021