That\u2019s what the late, great comedian George Carlin used to claim as part of a set he called his \u201cadvertising lullaby<\/a>.\u201d The lullaby is a hugely entertaining laundry list of advertising\u2019s shallow claims, slogans, jingles and qualifiers like \u201cNo cash? No problem. No kidding, no fuss.\u201d It\u2019s designed to display what Carlin called \u201cAmerica\u2019s most profitable business\u2026bullshit.\u201d And it\u2019s a lullaby that sadly still resonates more than 20 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, advertisements, and now social media, have become even more closely intertwined with our lives, surrounding us with a complex web of influences of which we are often unaware. To get us to purchase even more things that we don\u2019t need, these two powerful forces often prey on our insecurities and vulnerabilities. Through carefully crafted messages, they\u2019re able to tap into emotions and exploit our needs. And they purposefully aim for those needs lower down on Maslow\u2019s famous hierarchy of needs, even when those needs have little to do with the goods or services being peddled. A \u201cFind Your Beach\u201d Corona commercial, for example, seduces you with a picture of paradise. But it really just wants you to buy a six pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a popular technique in advertising\u2014to tap into our insecurities through aspirational images. These images often depict people with perfect bodies, beautiful faces, and expensive possessions. And if that makes you feel inadequate about your life, well, it\u2019s supposed to do that. It\u2019s designed to do just that\u2014to convince us that by buying certain products or services, we can be just like these beautiful people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way that advertising and social media play on our insecurities is by appealing to our need for validation. We live in a society where \u201clikes\u201d and \u201cshares\u201d are currency, and companies take advantage of this by creating campaigns that focus on the idea of \u201cfitting in\u201d or \u201cbeing cool.\u201d This type of messaging encourages us to purchase products or services in order to gain the approval of our peers. It can also exploit our fear of missing out, or FOMO. By creating campaigns that focus on limited-time offers, exclusive discounts, and other \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d opportunities, they can convince us that we\u2019re missing out on something great if we don\u2019t act fast. \u201cAct now, order today, send no money, offer good while supplies last,\u201d as Carlin would put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advertising is based on classic misdirection. And whatever the ads themselves may say, those behind them don\u2019t actually want you to address Maslow\u2019s self-actualization level or to acquire what might actually improve your well-being. They don\u2019t want us educating or bettering ourselves. Why? Because more educated consumers are less likely to buy their brand of bullshit. The \u201cbig wealthy business interests,\u201d as Carlin puts it in another famous bit<\/a>, \u201cdon\u2019t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They\u2019re not interested in that. That doesn\u2019t help them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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