Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty
to avoid stereotyping people?
Whether
we like it or not, mass media and its eclectic portrayal of subjects substantially influences our
perception of the world around us. In fact, advertising agencies are well aware
of the incontrovertible authority of their advertisements
and often this vulnerable actuality is exploited and capitalized on for the
primary purpose of reaping financial gains. Stereotyping is only one of the plentitude of rhetoric
employed by advertisers to appeal to their target audience and ultimately coax them towards
a central product. Accordingly, sweeping generalizations are at the core
of this device whereby a certain group of people is perpetually illustrated in
a peculiar manner, independent of whether the depiction is accurate or not. For
instance the portrayal of a male figure as the "breadwinner"
juxtaposed with a quintessential stay-at-home wife looking after the children
or perhaps highlighting the superiority of one race to another due to
associative factors, essentially fall under the category of common stereotypes
we are exposed to through mass media.
Continual
subjection to stereotypes perpetuated by media embeds in our minds a prejudice
against those at the centre of the injustice and hence in my opinion,
advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people. It is incorrect to
primarily misconstrue reality regarding a certain group of people, however what
intensifies the doing more so is when the thin line between a stereotype and
practicality become blurred in societal views. Often, humour is utilized as an
excuse for such falsified portrayals despite the fact that an advertisers
essence of humour may not align with a considerable segment of the viewership.
With mass media, the audience being reached is too diverse to please everyone
through restricted depictions. However, at the same time, advertisers need to
keep in mind that ideologies promulgated in advertisements can have drastic
consequences on propelling or conversely hindering the
overarching societal mentality on a subject, making it crucial for advertisers
to be vigilant in the process of creating advertisements.
Shriya this is a very well written piece! There are some very valid points and concerns addressed in this blog post. While I do completely agree with all the problems associated with stereotyping, I don't think advertisers have a moral responsibility not to do this. Do you agree the message conveyed in advertising is only a reflection of societies values?
ReplyDeleteHi Abel, whilst I do not necessarily believe that advertisements reflect society's values, I do on the other hand firmly believe that mass media has a great influence on how people perceive the world, especially if they do not have first hand experience and rely solely on what the media portrays. Thus, the portrayal of stereotypes essentially enforces a mentality that has the potential of embedding falsified images in an individual's mind concerning a certain group of people; this can be detrimental when people are actually exposed to different social groups.
DeleteHi Shriya
ReplyDeleteI like how you straight away put into consideration that the agencies that create these advertisements are well aware of what they are putting in their ads in order to influence their intended audience. I also liked how you understand that there is a thin line between humer and falsified portrayal of people, I enjoyed reading your blog.
Good job.
Aurora Sera Unal