This week’s reading was by Tim Wu, ‘Introduction’ and ‘Epilogue’ to The Attention Merchants.
Tim Wu’s text discusses the ways in which companies engage the public’s attention and the ethics surrounding it. For example, the reading delved into the way some educators in the US allow advertisers to advertise in schools in order to reach new customers. While the ethics of this are questionable, it’s a decision that has been made due to the lack of funding available to public schools and as such, they have been faced with this potentially unethical choice of allowing almost subliminal messaging to some of the most vulnerable in our society.
A constant bombardment of marketing messages seems very dystopic (think Blade Runner or Wall-e), but has become such a regular part of daily life that we have become accustomed to its existence. Ultimately, this means that we must be mindful of just what it is we are mentally consuming, and parents must educate their children as to what exactly is the world of advertising.