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Why is there so much money in advertising if media doesn't condition people? Violent media establishes the first part of James 1:14-15 descent into sin and dea
by yters 9y ago
Why is there so much money in advertising if media doesn't condition people?
Violent media establishes the first part of James 1:14-15 descent into sin and death:
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Sure, we have self control. But, you combine media priming + chemically reduced inhibition, and you get violence, rape, etc. That's why the Taliban would get all drugged up before facing almost certain death attacking a US base in Afghanistan. Perhaps also why these mass killers in the US have mental conditions, which reduced their natural inhibition against acting out their fantasies.
- stcredzero 9y agoWhy is there so much money in advertising if media doesn't condition people? My conclusion, having watched a lot of this sort of confusion over the years in researchers, philosophers, and thinkers of all sorts, is that there is a connection, but the mode of operation is very subtle, and what it's operating on is very, very complex. It's like an alien researcher from a planet without computers even remotely resembling ours is trying to figure out human software, notes that '=' seems to be associated with the 'assignment' operation, then gets confused when injecting a whole bunch of '=' randomly into a codebase causes the program to stop, effectively suppressing most of the 'assignment.' We're only beginning to scratch the surface on the human psyche and its interaction with culture.
- yters 9y agoSeems sensible to say it trains the psyche, and then when inhibitions are lowered the psyche acts out. E.g. Freud's theory of the id, ego and super ego or Plato's multipart soul. Media trains the id and ego with imagery and messaging, and when the super ego loses its control the id and ego take over.
- stcredzero 9y agoI suspect that Freud’s place in psychology will be like Galen’s in medicine.
- yters 9y agoYes he has a lot of weird. But some big picture views of his are not too off. The id, ego, super ego is at least a useful heuristic.
- jdietrich 9y ago>Why is there so much money in advertising if media doesn't condition people? Advertising can have no direct persuasive effects whatsoever and still be cost-effective. Imagine that a new bank opens, promising exceptionally high interest rates on savings accounts because of their much lower operating costs. Their branches are converted shipping containers on vacant lots, furnished with cheap patio furniture. Their staff are dressed in jeans and t-shirts. They don't have a website, just a Facebook page. No sane person would deposit their money with such a bank. Why? Because this bank has made no long-term commitment. You have no reason to believe that they won't just run off with your money. Until relatively recently, bank branches were usually lavishly furnished stone buildings with marble flooring, exotic wood panelling and opulent chandeliers. The immense cost of their furnishing acted as a costly signal that's difficult to fake - we spent all of this money on our bank branch, so you can believe that we're not a fly-by-night operation. Even to a perfectly rational customer, it's a strong Bayesian signal. Engagement rings serve a similar purpose - they're pointless and expensive, which is exactly why they're a meaningful symbol. Expensive advertising has the same signalling value as opulent bank branches and engagement rings. If a company has saturated the TV with their commercials and sponsored a football stadium, they have a lot to lose if their reputation is damaged by scandal. They've spent a huge amount of money to make themselves a household name, so they have a strong incentive to ensure that they deliver a quality product. When you're in the supermarket, it's perfectly logical to buy the brands that you recognise. General advertising works because it's a total waste of money.
- yters 9y agoPerhaps a factor, but the standard take on advertising is that it conditions people to like certain products. Successful advertising tells a story the viewer wants to be a part of. Video games are the modern pinnacle of interactive story telling, so their conditioning effect should be even stronger than standard advertising.
- toomanybeersies 9y agoDid anybody bother to tell you that the Bible is, in fact, not a peer reviewed journal?
- yters 9y agoWell, a couple millenia worth of the world's best thinkers have seen fit to pass it on. That sounds like a peer review system to me.