Journal Entry 6

     There are two different kinds of design there is the advertising marketing side of it and then there is another side where it is a little bit more real. I kind of equate it to music where you have an underground genre like punk in its pure form. It becomes a little bit more popularized and then it becomes watered down when it comes to the masses. There this tight knit culture that was created by people and it becomes part of the greater culture but as it becomes more popularized, pop, it becomes more watered down. I feel that advertising is a form of watered down culture. It depends on the stereotypes, schemas, and euphemisms that were created a long time ago based on the underground culture that I feel is eroding away and all we have on top is all this massive noise. 
     Advertisements are trying to stand out in the visual clutter by creating more clutter.Everyone in the advertising business is using the same tactics to compete against each other. This way of advertising is not creating a diverse visual language for the consumers. When different advertisements are using the same techniques and mediums they all look the same to the consumer. When bombarded with the overflow of visual pollution from ads the average consumer will just stick with buying the product that they know, in most cases that would be the most established brands of major corporations. Visual pollution must make it even harder for smaller companies to be seen. It is inappropriate to be considered as a consumer all the time.

     Unless you live in the middle of no where you cannot go anywhere without encountering some sort of advertisement. Ads have penetrated into our daily lives. they have been customized for us based on our demographic, what we search online, the credit cards we have and more. We have to remember that our public space is for everyone not just for the use of advertisers. People truly identify themselves with brands. The images and messages sent in ad campaigns shape and mold the identity of the consumer. Advertisers should be acting responsibly with the consumer and viewer in mind when creating ad campaigns. Advertisements are in a way role models for the consumer they idolize the lifestyles portrayed in these ads. Imagine if we didn't have advertising to idolize, how would that effect society? Would it make us more self assured about our own identity's not feeling like we have to live up to the ideals portrayed in advertisements?

     In our society if something is not profitable it is not valuable. We as a society need to learn to value things other than money as valuable. Money is really a placeholder that eases the exchange of goods and services. Somehow money has become the goods, we spend money to advertise profitable goods (not necessarily quality goods) in or der to make money. Ridiculous.