Final answer:
Advertising exacerbates materialism by creating desires for the good life and social status, often ignoring societal implications and real consumer needs. It shapes consumer behavior and attitudes towards consumption, valuing products as symbols of a better lifestyle. Therefore the statement is true.
Step-by-step explanation:
By creating needs rather than merely fulfilling them, advertising can exacerbate the problems with materialism. Therefore the statement is true. Advertising not only aims to inform but also to persuade and create desires. This is achieved by associating products with status and success, often leading to an increase in consumer socialization, where consumers learn and develop behaviors related to consumption. This involves portraying products as symbols that can bring about the good life, often at the cost of overshadowing the actual needs of the consumers and the societal implications of overconsumption.
Marketing means utilizing strategies that can affect the beliefs and behaviors of consumers, pushing them towards a culture of consumption where consumer goods are equated with happiness and social status. This can have a negative impact, as companies promote products relentlessly, disregarding the facts or the actual value of the products to normalize insatiable consumption patterns. Advertisements can desensitize people and promote a separation between subcultures of society, leading to a lack of trust in political institutions and prioritization of consumption over critical social issues.
The powerful role of advertising in shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors cannot be underestimated. Through a constant barrage of ads, consumers are made to feel that by buying certain products, they can join an elite social class or that their identity is enhanced. This influence is part of a broader consumer culture that shifts focus from the conditions of production to the ideals of choice and leisure.
Corrected question: By creating needs rather than merely fulfilling them, by surrounding consumers with images of the good life, and by showing products as symbols of status and success, advertising can exacerbate the problems with: multiple choice ethnocentricity consumer socialization materialism informative ads. True of false?