It seems almost impossible to escape the wrath of media, regardless of where you go or what you do.

We are constantly exposed – even over-exposed – to forms of media, whether it be for the sake of an advertisement or for entertainment purposes. Media is constantly screaming at us, begging for attention like a child, and it is through this that we develop awareness of the world.

I wondered into the Emporium and was bombarded by vivid advertisements for products as mundane as a soft drink and wondered about the correlations between advertisements and the actual products that they’re advertising. Like what is the direct link between a men’s facial razor and hiking in the mountains that was supposedly apparent enough to base an entire advertisement around? Ah, I see now. Men. Men shave their face. Men are manly. Manly men go hiking. In the mountains. Yes, of course, that ad makes perfect logical sense now.

Companies play on our preconceptions about who we are and who we desire to be. The average man desires to be manly, therefore purchases a razor to trim his facial hair that is advertised to make an average man such as himself significantly more manly. Manly enough to scale the face of a cliff, apparently. It’s smart marketing that gives unknowing men the falsity of a masculinity boost.

So why do we buy into these advertising ploys that companies spoon feed us through our handheld screens and televisions and the bellowing media that we are exposed to? You decide.

a) Because there is a sense of security in following trends. It’s cool to be in the know and aware of what is popular and what is out of season or obsolete.

b) We feel insecure – though we may not openly admit it – about who we are and how we look, therefore we allow the media to influence the way we see ourselves to the extent that it is upon this influence that we shape our identities and outward appearances.

c) There’s a lot of pressure on consumers to spend money on things when they are pitched to us in a specific way. When a beautiful woman holds something as unremarkable as a new model vacuum cleaner, the pressure is on to be that beautiful woman with that brand-spanking new vacuum cleaner. It’s a ‘shut up and take my money!’ moment. Smart business, really.

d) All of the above.