Advertising's Impact on Morality in Society: Influencing Habits and Desires of Consumers

Abstract

Of all the major perspectives by which people construe the world, advertising is at once among the most influential and the least examined. 1 Advertisements saturate our social lives. We participate, daily, in deciphering advertising images and messages. . . . Yet, because ads are so pervasive and our reading of them so routine, we tend to take for granted the deep social assumptions embedded in advertisements. We do not ordinarily recognize advertising as a sphere of ideology. 2Much of the literature written on advertising ethics by philosophers focuses on "Truth in Advertising"-puffery, disclosure, and other such issues. 3 My concern here is quite different. I am interested in exploring the moral effects of advertising on individuals in societyparticularly how advertising affects the desires and inclinations of individuals, and then, whether that influence has any moral ramifications. Should advertisers simply follow the dictum "buyer beware"-and maintain no responsibility for the effects of advertisement so long as they are not outright lying? Or should advertisers take partial responsibility for the effects of their advertisements

Diverging responsibilities: reflections on emerging issues of responsibility in the advertising business

“…The thinking is that advertising shapes attitudes and creates values, which then steer the behaviour of consumers (see also Gustafson, 2001). Advertisers have been blamed for young people's obesity and unhealthy eating habits, for the growth of anorexia and for distorted body images.…”

Regulation of soft issues in advertising in Confucian societies: a comparative examination

“…Advertising is arguably more than a market mechanism. In fact, it asserts a direct influence on social values, goals and ideals (Gustafson, 2001). Hence, advertising regulation extends beyond the economic sphere and acquires a strong ideological dimension.…”

study of school students’ perception towards value education and advertising

“…The products such as cigarettes, alcohol, gambling etc. are termed as immoral or sin products (Gustafson, 2001). On one hand, advertising promotes information to the customers; on the other hand, it lures customers with its vulgar content.…”

“…The author elucidated the essential perceptions concerned by examining the times past of children and advertising. Gustafson (2001) explored the moral effects of advertising on individuals in society particularly how advertising affects the desires and inclinations of individuals and then, whether that influence has any moral ramifications. Bushman and Bonacci (2002) conducted a study in which participants watched a violent, sexually explicit, or neutral TV program that contained 9 ads.…”