The+Lurking+Manipulator

Robbie Sandhu Language and Composition Research Paper Mr. Barra 6/14/14 Research question: Do commercials truly influence our decisions when buying products? The Lurking Manipulator  Commercials can be defined as the act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service, need, etc. the act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service, need, etc. Companies use these ads to make you buy their products and this brings up the controversy do commercials actually influence our decisions on which products people buy. I believe commercials actually do influence our decisions to buy products people whether it’s a negative or positive decision.  Commercials have tons of ways of influencing people, and by influencing them, they are persuading them to buy their product which has a big “effect on all of society”(May). Commercials can indirectly influence parents, for example children in our day and age are easily persuaded by commercials that have cool looking toys and yummy cereals. So what do the kids do the next time they see their parents, they annoy their parents into buying the product. In other words by influencing kids, commercials are indirectly influencing parents to buy their product. The main point here is that the attitudes of children change because of the influence commercials have on them (Schulten). In addition to that, studies show that children are the most easily influenced and persuaded by commercials. (Scott, Wackman). I have many personal connections with this, like for example when I was a kid I saw a commercial for these amazing colorful fruit loops and when I saw my mom I kept asking her to buy me fruit loops and at first she told me to go away but after hours of nagging she gave in to me, the influenced child from a fruit loop commercial. Following this further, commercials affect the elderly negatively too which is shown in the 1969 study done by Davis and Westbrook. The elderly decisions were affected when viewing commercials and it caused them to buy products they did not need. All in all, commercials can influence people at all ages and it can indirectly influence people to buy products.  Visual commercials have a huge influence on people even if they are too ignorant to realize it. “Advertising is all around” us this causes television commercials and other visual commercials have become a phenomenon that can alter lifestyles by setting the norms for social expectations (Schulten). Values are often subconsciously based on what is seen on television because marketing is everywhere or in other words subconsciously, you believe that your life will improve in some way. Also commercials make the setting perfect, meaning all the conditions around the product e.g. lighting, sunny day, and product, etc. is all perfect. It tricks the viewers into thinking that the product is perfect and you will always be in a perfect environment when using or eating, etc the product. Commercials are apart of our lives and we can’t get rid of them. They are on T.V, on the Internet, on gaming consoles and much more. In the end the influence commercials have on us is massive due to the available of it.  In addition, Commercials introduce us to all these different products we have never heard before or they try to instill a brand name into your head. According to Ewald Berkers Many people may deny the fact that they are being persuaded by a commercial but its more common than you think, because most of the time once you see an image of something you like, it will go straight to the back of your mind, as Peter Cole states the image goes to “hidden channels of memory leading back to the notions of others absorbed”. This is because they are trying to “ familiarize us with brands”.(Berkers) Also advertisers hide the manipulative parts of advertising, because many people will not accept it if they notice being manipulated, basically “we little know the influence of a word”(Sutton). It needs to appear innocent in order to have an influence.  Lastly commercials have such a huge impact on people that parents decided to teach their kids or make them take classes on “ the effects and influence of commercials”(Kaye). Parents are especially doing this for the safety of their children because studies “towards food and beverage commercials was analyzed and related to food preferences” (Olivares). In other words television commercials influenced children into buying harmful unhealthy foods, which lead to their bad health. Also “ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a federal agency is undertaking an effort” to make sure students understand the techniques used by commercials to persuade us. This would allow for students to make smarter and more pragmatic decisions. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> With that being said, commercials are very allusive and trick you into thinking that products are perfect and or they influence you or others to buy their products. In a sense commercials can be considered as a lurking manipulator because they are always trying to send a hidden message to the viewers, trying to make them buy their product. Overall, commercials without a doubt have some sort of influence on us, and no one is safe from the grasp of influence commercials have.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works Cited <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Berkers, Ewald. "The Influence of Advertising." The Influence of Advertising. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://www.unenticed.com/english.php?title=influence+of+advertising>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cole, Peter. "From "The Invention of Influence"" Poetry. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Davis, Richard H., and Jay G. Westbrook. "Television in the Lives of the Elderly: Attitudes and Opinions." Taylor and Francis Online. Atypon, n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F08838158509386579%23.U6CxwrEpDIU>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kaye, Evelyn. "ERIC - The Family Guide to Children's Television; What to Watch, What to Miss, What to Change and How to Do It., 1974." ERIC. Pantheon Books, n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED096941>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">May, Jill P. "Project MUSE - Television Literature: An Overview." Project MUSE. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/chq/summary/v007/7.3.may01.html>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Olivares. "Television Publicity and Food Preferences of School Age Children of the Metropolitan Region." Europe PubMed Central. Twitter, n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Feuropepmc.org%2Fabstract%2FMED%2F10668286>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Schulten, Katherine. "How Much Are You Influenced by Advertising?" The Learning Network How Much Are You Influenced by Advertising Comments. N.p., 28 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/how-much-are-you-influenced-by-advertising/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sundem, Garth. "HowStuffWorks "How Do TV Commercials Influence American Culture?"" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/tv-and-culture/commercials-influence-american-culture.htm>.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sutton, Nettie S. "Influence." Influence - A Poem by Nettie Squire Sutton. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://skyways.lib.ks.us/poetry/sutton/influence.html>.