Are We Shallow?

Do you think for yourself? The honest answer is probably “No”.  Today’s society values material objects and status more than the relationships and connections they hold with others. The government and corporations have created this current societal culture in order to increase their power financially in regards to status and influence. With an increase in the development and use of technology and media, this issue has become more prevalent and dangerous. Some may argue that technology, social media, and today's culture, in general, have allowed people to become more connected throughout the years. As a result, society has created another way of illustrating the value of relationships and other people. However, because of the growth of technology and corporations, the progression of the current culture that values material things over people and relationships has become more noticeable in recent years. This is due to the fact that these organizations are conspiring with the government against the general public. There is a symbiotic relationship between the government and these large corporations. Corporations use these tactics to exploit the public in order for financial gain, and in turn, the government benefits from the growth in the economy.

Companies rely on advertisements so that they can reap the benefits of consumerism in the long run. This is one of the most crucial parts of a business. If they do not make contact with their audience and reach out to other people outside of their usual consumer base, their product and business will suffer. Companies are dependent on the public in order to make a profit. This is why it is important for them to spend money on various forms of advertising. By spreading their message across a myriad of platforms, they allow for their product to be viewed by large audiences. Large corporations like Apple have the funds to spend “more than $500 million on marketing its streaming service, Apple TV+ this year…”(“Apple to Spend…”). This is due to the fact that they prioritize marketing and allocate a large portion of their revenue to these areas in order to promote their business to the general public. Due to their business and financial acumen, these companies realize the value of public opinion and perception. This is why they manipulate the public into believing that their product is a necessity that they cannot live without rather than some trend that will die out in a couple of months. It is much easier to manipulate these large audiences than ever before because of the rapid growth and popularity of social media platforms. These platforms are being used more frequently by a growing number of people. 

This increase in the use of technology and social media can be seen in the daily lives of Americans. 

In this country, each person uses Facebook for roughly “ 58 minutes a day on the app – or 325 hours a year” (Suciu). This, in conjunction with other apps like Instagram and TikTok where Americans spend “almost 53 minutes per day, or 297 hours a year” and “over 24 hours of content per month”, allows companies to have easy and constant access to people of all demographics (Suciu). They infiltrate their homes via the consumer’s phones, TVs, and computers. They infiltrate their cars via the radio as well as billboard signs as they drive by them. Everyday life has slowly become more commercialized and by doing it in subtle ways like this, it is difficult to realize the changes in the culture of our society until it has become too late.

Oftentimes, companies choose people who have the ability to garner not only a lot of attention but a lot of trust from the public to speak on their behalf. The beauty industry itself can be seen making these kinds of investments in their marketing and advertising. These companies that specialize in “beauty and personal luxury advertising spending are set to reach 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and further grow by 200 million within the following year”(Guttmann). It is a direct effect of the use of trusted individuals to promote their products. The public goes to media outlets like YouTube, for example. They watch their favorite beauty guru share a product that they “swear by” and at the end of the video that viewer is on the product website buying that same makeup item with that YouTuber’s promo code. This tactic weaponizes the trust between the creators of videos like these and their audience in order to benefit large corporations. It’s obvious that social media plays a major role in determining the popularity of a product. Knowing this, corporations take advantage of the public by indirectly influencing their decisions. This is done through “influencers”. A strategy that allows people to be manipulated by the people they admire. 

The new phenomenon, known as “influencer culture” is an inconspicuous issue. It has somehow been ingrained into the fabric of our society where it becomes interconnected with various aspects of our lives. Whether it is makeup, clothing, cars, or entertainment, the idea of using these material things to assert our status has become more prevalent than ever. There is a link between a person’s spending decisions and social status. In today’s society, people believe that a person’s social status is reflected in what they can afford, or what they may think they can afford. This societal norm comes from the idea that “the demand for social affirmation might be related to one’s self-image”  (“Spending on Bling…”). This link demonstrates how society has always had a need to use material items as a method of distraction. The need for expressing one’s own status in order to appear superior to those around them is just another way that people confuse their perception of reality with reality itself. They are sold the idea of inclusivity as if it is something tangible that can be bought for a price. When in actuality, the only thing preventing someone from obtaining this idea is their own mindset, not their wallet. It was made evident when Huxley mentioned, “In a word, they failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions”  (Huxley). It would be easy to place all of the blame on these so-called “influencers” and the companies who use them to manipulate their audience. However, it is important to note that this level of manipulation and persuasion would be impossible without assistance from the government.

They are negligent when it comes to regulating these businesses because they have realized that they and the economy benefit from consumerism. Laws that are set to be put in place are often watered down in order to appease large corporations. This is mostly due to the fact that they openly accept money from these companies in the form of lobbying. By donating money to their campaigns, congressmen and women continue to maintain their power even if it is at the expense of the people. Usually, these alterations in upcoming bills include deregulations on goods that could help a company mass produce items to flood the market thus providing the supply that has been created as a result of the increase of the demand made through advertising. Ginormous corporations like “Nike and Coca-Cola are among the major companies and business groups lobbying Congress to weaken a bill that would ban imported goods made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region” (Swanson). This sort of flanking maneuver allows corporations to attack from both sides: the government and the public. It is a vicious cycle where the people in power maintain their authority and wealth at the expense of the people they are meant to protect.

The only sides that benefit from these deals are the government, businesses, and the economy. The simple fact is that if people do not spend money, the economy will not prosper. This is why the government believes it is crucial to protect the businesses that control the economy. Consumerism makes up “about 70% of the U.S. economy. As of the 1st quarter of 2020, consumer expenditures in the U.S. was $14.5 trillion”  (Davis). The people in power pride themselves on their ability to maintain and grow the economy. As it is the main point of many debates and news topics, it is important for them to show some form of statistical progress in order to convince the public that they are using their authority properly. However, this is just an illusion that allows them to continue accepting donations from the companies they communicate with. The government is the main group at fault in this situation. Their negligence in regards to implementing laws in order to protect the public from these advertising schemes truly proves which side they chose to support and align themselves with.

It is clear that with the growth and influence of technology, corporations have learned to adapt to the changing environment in order to keep themselves and their products relevant. By using methods of advertisement, especially social media, these companies infiltrate the daily lives of the American public in subtle ways in order to slowly change their minds and societal culture altogether. Although these large corporations are somewhat responsible for the direction that society is heading in, they are not the only ones at fault. It is the government and their abuse of their power that allows for all of this to take place. They seek protection in the corporations so that they will have the financial ability to maintain their relevance in upcoming elections. Since they directly benefit from consumerism, they have no desire to choose a path that helps the public since they are able to gain money and power by aligning themselves with these corporations. The lack of initiative taken by the government to stop this behavior from changing our society forever shows their greed and prioritization of money and power over the wellbeing of the public. If this trend continues, corporations will gain more power and people will lose the capacity to think for themselves. 

Work Cited

“Apple to Spend over $500 Mln on Marketing Apple TV+ -The Information.” Reuters, 10 Sept. 2021, www.reuters.com/technology/apple-spend-over-500-mln-marketing-apple-tv-this-year-the-information-2021-09-10.

Suciu, Peter. “Americans Spent On Average More Than 1,300 Hours On Social Media Last Year.” Forbes, 10 Dec. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/06/24/americans-spent-more-than-1300-hours-on-social-media/?sh=277e78992547.

Guttmann, A. “Beauty and Cosmetics Advertising in the U.S. - Statistics and Facts.” Statista, 21 June 2021, www.statista.com/topics/8105/beauty-and-cosmetics-advertising-in-the-us.

 “Spending on Bling: What Explains the Demand for Status Goods?” World Bank Blogs, 19 July 2017, blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/spending-bling-what-explains-demand-status-goods.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Harper Perennial, 2006.

Swanson, Ana. “USA: Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola among Companies Reportedly Lobbying Congress to Weaken Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Bill.” Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 20 Dec. 2020, https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/usa-nike-and-coca-cola-among-major-companies-lobbying-congress-to-water-down-uyghur-forced-labour-law/. 

Davis, Marc. “The Spending Habits Of Americans.” Investopedia, 28 Aug. 2021, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0512/the-spending-habits-of-americans.aspx.