There is also increasing criticism over the effects of advertising on societies now more than ever. Some people even say that all forms of advertisement should be abolished for the betterment of society, as they are of no worth and can even be harmful in a way. I partly agree with this argument, because advertising can be harmful, but it is not absolutely so. Even though a ban has some advantages, it is essential to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising in today’s world.
On one side, advertisement is not always lamented as superficiality but is seen as barbarism as it causes people to be over-materialistic. A great number of advertisements encourage and bring interest to buy unnecessary items, which causes apathy and a constructional financial sphere. For instance, such advertisements as luxury goods ads or fast food ads encourage the existence of false ambitions and false health standards, increasing the rates for things such as obesity or bankruptcy. In addition, there are geo-targeted ads and focused advertising in general, which permeate every operation that individuals perform on the Internet and therefore invade individual autonomy, protecting concerns about smartphones. This particular issue is often described as being negative for psychological health as it develops the tendency of inferiority and intrigues the obsession of competition among individuals, especially children, among their peers.
Advertising benefits society in numerous beneficial ways as well. It contains important, helpful information about products and services to guide the consumer’s decisions. For example, advertisements for educational programmes or health services may address such questions and motivate appropriate activities. Advertising helps the economy as well by sustaining companies, providing job opportunities, and fostering competition. For instance, advertising has enabled most small businesses to know their potential customers for expansion purposes, which fosters creativity and economic growth.
To conclude, advertising has weaknesses, but it also holds a good number of strengths, especially with business advertising and consumer understanding. Instead of banning all forms of advertising, a better approach for society would be to monitor and control advertising practices for the promotion of ethical advertising standards.