Advertising is harmful to society

Thank you for accepting, Con.I will be making three contentions in this debate:1. Advertising discourages rational decision-making2. Advertising creates a consumer culture3. Advertising adversely affects the cognitive ability of the audienceContention #1 - Advertising discourages rational decision-makingAccording to CEO Insights, "Without advertisement not a single farm or company can grow in this world of competition."[1] The obvious implication of this is that it is not the quality of the product that sells it in today's society, but the aggressiveness of the marketers who advertise it. This is especially true when we consider the rampant dishonesty within advertising. To examine just one industry, nine out of ten people find broadband advertising to be misleading.[2] Richard Pollay, author of The Distorted Mirror: Reflection on the Unintended Consequences of Advertising, analogizes advertising as a type of "brain surgery." Pollay says that ads are designed to "attract attention, change attitudes, and to command our behavior."[3]For an amusing yet somewhat frightening look at the potential power of advertising, please watch the video on the side.Contention #2 - Advertising creates a consumer cultureWhile consumption is naturally an essential part of a capitalist society, it needs to be kept in balance with "producerism" in order to keep it from turning into consumerism. It is worth quoting Professor Amitai Etzioni at length here to explain my point: What needs to be eradicated, or at least greatly tempered, is consumerism: the obsession with acquisition that has become the organizing principle of American life. This is not the same thing as capitalism, nor is it the same thing as consumption. To explain the difference, it is useful to draw on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. At the bottom of this hierarchy are basic creature comforts; once these are sated, more satisfaction is drawn from affection, self-esteem and, finally, self-actualization. As long as consumption is focused on satisfying basic human needs -- safety, shelter, food, clothing, health care, education -- it is not consumerism. But when, on attempts to satisfy these higher needs through the simple acquisition of goods and services, consumption turns into consumerism -- and consumerism becomes a social disease. The link to the economic crisis should be obvious. A culture in which the urge to consume dominates the psychology of citizens is a culture in which people will do most anything to acquire the means to consume -- working slavish hours, behaving rapaciously in their business pursuits, and even bending the rules in order to maximize their earnings. They will also buy homes beyond their means and think nothing of running up credit-card debt. It therefore seems safe to say that consumerism is, as much as anything else, responsible for the current economic mess.[4] 92% of respondents in a poll said that television commercials aimed at children are responsible for making children materialistic.[5]Contention #3 - Advertising adversely affects the cognitive ability of the audienceAdvertising defines and redefines the desires and tastes of the public. Harnessing the power of media, advertisers are able to cause people to desire irrational products, lifestyles and body images. For example, a report by the British Medical Association called for advertisers to stop featuring "abnormally thin" women in their advertisements as it was causing girls to attempt to emulate the models.[6] This clearly indicates the power of the media to create irrational desires and thoughts within the minds of their audience.Sources1. http://www.theceoinsights.com...2. http://www.virgin.com...3. http://hilo.hawaii.edu...4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com...5. http://www.csun.edu...6. http://www.theguardian.com...http://www.youtube.com...