Nowadays we cannot go anywhere without seeing advertisements of one kind or another. The penetration of advertising into our life has gone so far that sometimes we even feel amazed by its ubiquity. Advertising is, of course, very useful, informing us about what to buy, where to buy and how to buy, but it also has negative effects, especially by transforming what we regard as important in our life.
Surrounded by advertisements, we can easily be led to a belief that our life is all about buying things. This widespread consumerism can persuade us into buying many things we do not really need on the one hand, and make us less content with what we have on the other, and crave hopelessly for those unattainable commodities. I still remember a few days ago when walking in front of a supermarket, I saw how a little girl, with her eyes glued to an advertising board, pestered her mother for the expensive toy on it that her mother apparently could not afford. Advertising, then, while providing us with useful commodities information, also creates the unwanted desire at our heart and makes us unhappy.
Meanwhile, lured by the promises of advertising, some people may choose to commit crimes, which then causes a lot of social problems. A student, for instance, may rob his classmate of an iPhone 8, for he has been told by advertising that iPhone 8 is superior to its previous versions. Likewise, an official may take bribery to buy an expensive house by the lake because the advertising says the luxury of living there is superb.
Seen in this light, advertising can affect our way of thinking about life and we, therefore, should be cautious about its negative influences while enjoying the benefits it brings us.
