In defense of advertising: A social perspective

Abstract

Many critics have questioned the ethics of advertising as an institution in current American society. The purpose is to critically examine 3 negative social trends that have been attributed to advertising: 1. the elevation of consumption over other social values, 2. the increasing use of goods to satisfy social needs, and 3. the increasing dissatisfaction of individual consumers. This explanation yields a defense of advertising which argues that the underlying cause of these negative trends is not advertising, but a larger social factor - capitalism. Solutions that address the capitalistic roots of these negative social trends are suggested.