Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture Essay Example

identified specific examples of the advertising agencies connecting popular culture with advertising. It was in 1938 when an advertising agency based in New York hired N. W. Ayers to change the attitude of the public toward diamonds. The hard task was to transform the perception of the public from the diamond being a financial investment to a symbol of everlasting love. Fortunately, Ayers, along with his team, succeeded in changing the attitude of the public toward the meaning of diamond. This is an example on how our consumer structure dictates our culture.

Our institutional consumer structure moves us forward to the world of commodities. Meanwhile, the article “Celebrities who aren’t really Celebrities” focused on the real meaning of being a “celebrity. ” Some people would think that just because a personality would have too much exposure in the media, he/she could be considered as a “celebrity. ” According to the article, the word “celebrity” was coined from the Latin word “celeber” which means “to honor or celebrate. ” This could be equated as “this person’s talent is to be celebrated.

The author was trying to point out that not all of the persons whom we see in every television show that we watch could be considered as a celebrity. Basically the author was trying to voice out that there actually personalities who are actually running after media exposure because they need it “to stay alive. ” Along with the frequent exposure of the personalities who hunger for such is the perception of the public that these persons are celebrities. Both of the articles tried to discuss the consumer culture of the viewing public. Both of the articles

dwelled on the impact of the television on the cultural being of the viewing public.

As stated by both articles, the “consumer characteristic” of the general public plays a very crucial role in shaping the cultural set-up of a society. What is said to be “popular” is to be followed by the biggest fraction of the public. Thus, that trend would eventually be part of the society’s culture. Television is a very powerful tool in changing the attitudes of the general public toward certain things and issues. Given the number of population who are succumb to television shows and advertisements; it is not surprising that what is seen on the television would eventually enter the cultural structure of a society.