It Starts with Us: Personal Responsibility
Let’s begin with some concessions. The author of this article concedes the
following: Advertising and marketing
behaviors are in fact based on tested and effective psychological and
sociological methods. Taste, smell and
other sensory perceptions and preferences can, in fact, scientifically be found
in concentration, in select demographics and communities of interest. These concessions are made in deference to
any person or persons who might be unaware of the constancy with which business
and personal interests are manipulating their perceptions of choice. In acknowledging these concessions, it is the
author’s hope that readers might concede the following: that the routine
manipulations produced through the psychological and sociological use of the
routine advertising and marketing of consumer products and services is a well
known and documented occurrence, and that, as such, should be stipulated as
common knowledge.
The studies into the precise nature of marketing and
advertising psychological effects from passive to more aggressive techniques
such as those researched in the mid 20th century into subliminal
techniques are well known common knowledge.
With these stipulations in place, we can begin an honest
discussion about the personal responsibilities of individuals to use sound
decision-making strategies to navigate the complexities of daily life as both
consumers and citizens.
In recent years several health and behavioral epidemics have
been identified and targeted for their negative impacts on the general health
and welfare of human beings and society.
A few of these include the detrimental effects of obesity, nicotine
addiction, consumer credit use and more.
All of these represent a clear and present threat to the beneficial
health and well being of both individuals and society as a whole. In a society, however, where manufactures,
advertisers, and distributors of consumer goods are often held to account for
the impacts of their products on the populace, the question remains as to what
the obligations of consumers might be with regard to their own decisions and
decisions made by them that might have impacts on others.
To begin, we will look at the obesity epidemic that has been
identified, in particular, in western or U.S. society. Obesity is a dangerous threat to public
health and welfare. Obesity can lead to several severe health problems,
including heart disease, hypertension, joint and muscle debilitation and
more. It is particularly important that
we look at obesity, as it resultant of specific behaviors, not organic or
hormonal conditions.
The ongoing battle against obesity has taken many
shapes. Public or government initiatives
to promote healthy consumption habits, as well as broad reaching regulatory
mandates, are tools employed to combat this problem. One of the most often recourses for
individuals has increasingly become litigation between the purported victims of
this epidemic and those who knowingly manufacture, distribute or market
products that have an apparent connection to or seem outwardly to contribute
to, poor health habits with regard to weight gain. Law suits with fast food companies, grocery
producers and even scientific endeavors working in the farming of crops and livestock
have been targeted if the resulting products appear to contribute in any way to
obesity or related behavioral disorders.
The question remains, as to the culpability of each
individual for deciding to consume these products once it is known that said
products are being marketed to a susceptible population. It is a foregone
conclusion that once a product is brought to market, it should in fact be
marketed directly to those most likely to purchase them. If an individual fits this demographic, then
it can be assumed that that individual is most likely targeted for
distribution. Once we know this, is it
now left to this individual to make the final and accountable decision to
consume or not, any such product? It can
be, as above, stipulated that advertisements for such products will endeavor to
produce a specific behavior, based on a targeted psychological appeal. However, the question remains, is the
targeted demographic group or individual still the arbiter of the final
resultant decision?
Nicotine “vaping” is one of the most recent epidemics among
young people through out the country. In
much the same way fast food, consumer soft drinks, and other non-essential
products and services are marketed, demographic studies are engaged,
psychological profiles are established, and market research directed toward
identifying successful methods for manipulating consumer behaviors that are
undertaken. Advertising methods are then
put into practice and consumption begins.
The question now bears repeating.
Is the consumer or targeted demographic group or individual still
reasonably responsible for the deliberate purchase and use of a product?
If we fully stipulate that we as a populace is aware of and
knowable of the fact that our behaviors are the target of specific manipulation
by advertising and marketing standard practices used by any and all consumer
services, then we must accept that said knowledge is, at the least, a first
step toward the deliberations needed to be a smart and informed consumer. If this is true, then it is derivative that
the ultimate decision to act to purchase, use or consume any product is
exclusively that of the individual, and that the individual assumes at the
point of purchase, the sole responsibility for their own actions.
For this to be the case, any and all information about the
product must be disclosed. In much the
same way U.S. regulations require a surgeon general’s warning on cigarette
packages, nutritional facts be published on food staples or behavioral dangers
be printed on irons or other appliances, any health or welfare risks must be
disclosed, so that the ultimate decision of the individual can be considered an
informed and deliberate one.
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING:
To serve the above stated purposes, full disclosure and a
more informed consumer population, fairness and truth in advertising
regulations have been established throughout history.
Efforts to reduce these restrictions in favor
of the so-called “free-market” have met with limited but important
success.
While general health and
welfare concerns are often still requisite, they can be psychologically
countered by hyperbolic claims about the salutary benefits or effects of
products.
Many regulations have been
utilized to limit these, often disingenuous, claims, but few have survived the
overwhelming pressures of the “free-market” to allow manufactures and
distributors to profit from their endeavors.
This makes the struggle to produce a truly informed consumer public a
difficult one.
MEDIA INDEPENDENCE:
In the 21st century, the seemingly unrelenting
growth of social media and other internet-based information platforms has made
it even more difficult to become a truly informed consumer. It is easy for providers, distributors and
manufacturers to produce their own media content and influence the targeted
consumer market. For this reason, the
fully independent press-media market must be protected. This presents a growing difficulty as media
companies struggle to diversify and become embedded in the consumer
marketplace. Ownership of press-media
providers by consumer goods manufacturers and distributors is increasingly
prevalent, making the independent media more difficult to find. There are few regulations with regard to the
ownership and influence of the presumed 4th estate, and many have
been stricken as intrusive to the “free-market.” This means that it is more incumbent on media
consumers to vary and critically analyze media that is directed toward them.
These trends also have salutary effects. Independent media was throughout much of the
20th century, controlled by a limited number of companies and
individuals. Understanding that these
have merged, diversified and reduced in numbers, while access to the Internet
and social media has increased, means that there are opportunities for
entrepreneurs with a genuine interest in an independent media structure. The single responsibility of consumers with
regard to media today, is to be vigilant in seeking unbiased, disconnected and critically
neutral media in a growing sea of choices.
It is also incumbent upon consumers to know and be able to distinguish
media that caters to opinion-based or paid editorializing. A general rule to apply to any editorial
content that is aimed at providing information, is to analyze the content to
determine if it is designed to reinforce or challenge one’s world view. If an article purports to bolster your
opinions, or unduly challenges them from a distinct point of view, the content
is not informative, it is designated as influential and at its best, is
editorializing, and at its most extreme, advertising or ad vocation.
THIS ARTICLE (For Example) IS EDITORIAL CONTENT and is NOT
Journalistically NUETRAL.
SOLUTIONS:
The sole and single most vital ability of a consumer or
citizen is to make unilateral and arbitrary decisions. It is the right, and this article argues the
sole right, and responsibility of each individual to inform themselves, form
and reinforce critically considered opinions, and ultimately determine through
thoughtful and deliberate consideration, to act or behave in accordance with or
opposition to, the conditioned and solicited manipulations of consumer goods
and services providers, distributors and manufacturers. In short, each of us must decide, knowing
that we are being solicited to act in certain ways and purchase certain things,
whether or not to do so.
ONLY, when we each as individuals, make deliberate choices
and accept that we are in fact still the arbiters of the rewards and
consequences of these decisions, can we free ourselves to consumer, citizen or
to become provider, manufacturer or distributors of information, goods or
services and in effect, take vital control over our economic, societal and
individual health and well-being.
These are, as always, the rambling thoughts of a guy who is
no smarter than any of you, and these opinions are submitted to each reader for
consideration, nothing more.
