“As a consumer, how can I be manipulated? If so, what’s the harm?”

In my quest to understand the origins of telecommunications, technology, sociology, neuroscience and neuromarketing (in relation to The iJerk); I stumbled upon some great, influential figures of our time.  Whether I disagree with them or not, it is obvious today, with the way society is; companies have listened to these propagandists, and have amassed wealth in doing so.  We see long lines of people waiting for the next electronic device before the one in their current version in hand becomes old, people discriminating one another because of the brand they bought  their products from, and people going into debt over nice cars and houses.  Propaganda, better known today as Public Relations, has affected is all in some way:

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. …In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind. ” (Click for FREE PDF Download of Propaganda. Propaganda , Edward Bernays, 1928)

…even more shocking, something like this being said in an office meeting:

We must shift America from a needs- to a desires-culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. […] Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.” (Paul Mazur, a Wall Street banker working for Lehman Brothers in the 1930’s)

“I like it, I don’t know why; I just do!”

There is now scientific evidence that proves there are areas in our brain that are stimulated when we are introduced to brands, the same areas that are used for emotions in our relationships with people and affiliations  like religious beliefs (insert source).  Point being that we do in fact treat our possessions with the same expectations and admiration as we do people.  Like it or not, your emotions are the biggest target for marketers, then your rational side (insert source).  How will you know if a product or service has great quality or not if you are first not feeling the need for it?  This is not a bad thing primarily when it is exercised responsibly.  Many people that find out this information fear that they are being violated and some how fooled by companies.  I’ll acknowledge that their are companies led by CEO’s and marketing teams that will exploit your emotions, desires and dependencies;  but the law hasn’t quite caught up to scientific evidence yet.  Until that happens, we as consumers mus safe guard ourselves.

We all must be held accountable for ‘Social Responsibility’, not just the companies we buy from.

We must consume responsibly and let companies know that if they want our patronage for frivolous and luxurious things; they may have to work a bit harder in more areas than just marketing, but in areas of development and social responsibility.  Our demand for these things is what drives their supply, leads them to employ workers from overseas and house them in substandard living conditions; just so we can walk around feeling smart or different (insert source).