Ads are nothing else but information devoted to promote, market, sell or provide specific information about a product, service, commercial event.

Our brain processes ads as another information block. On the other hand our brain has also learned that ads need extra processing for useful application, as they are psychological treats served to persuade you to spend some money somewhere.

Some of the extra processing our brain has to do when looking at ads is to keep those messages in context with other not-explicit facts about those very ads, like:
Ads cannot be trusted word for word.
They portray realities and scenarios that are part of a fantasy world.
They are not verified or certified for truthfulness.
They cannot be challenged.

In the sense that no-one can easily challenge an ad statement while having the same exposure and playing ground as the ad itself. Yes you could complain, you could make a legal suit but you could not easily challenge ad statements in their tracks, just like blogs today can challenge a misleading or false mainstream news item as it breaks.

But does it have to be like this?

Do we really need to be slaves to a system of marketing and promotion born out of the unique scenarios dictated by our now past mass-industrial era? Are the boundaries dictated by factors of scarcity of space, time and attention still there?

In the age of information, where abundance is a modest description of the gigantic wave of information bits flowing around us, scarcity is a game played on you by those who either can't see ahead, or have large interests in making sure we don't "wise-up" to something smarter.

Our ever running brain monkey loves the infinite opportunities ads offer to its insatiable craving for distraction.

But do you too?

If you want to know what I think, read on...

- - Robin Good' Sharewood Tidings [ Read more ]