Positive And Negative Effects Of Advertising

Adolescence, age group typically from 13 to 18, have many challenges for individuals irrespective of gender. These challenges include that on an emotional, physical and psychological level. These challenges may differ between males and females but the level of difficulty in trying to cope with the changes both physically and psychologically are equally difficult Young people of this age group are particularly vulnerable to external influences such as advertising as they are self-aware and are trying to define and assert themselves in the world around them. They are trying to find themselves and therefore are easily influenced.“Maturation does not stop at age 10, but continues into the teen years and even into the 20’s. What is most surprising

Kilbourne, Psychology & Marketing. Vol. 27(8) 2010,p. 780-798). There are positive and negative social and individual effects of advertising. One positive social effect is the impact of materialism on economic growth. Most noticeable of the negative effects is the effect on the environment and the diminished overall sense of wellbeing. This in turn impacts families as a whole and filters into the psyche and behaviour of developing teenagers.

(Garrett, D. E. 2010), Research the debate as to whether consumers are disadvantaged or vulnerable based on demographics, income or age and education. The Disadvantaged Consumer, (Andreasen 1975, 7) claims that the difficulties experienced by individuals whether because of age or education or demographics are as a result of the individuals own personality and personal attributes. Even though there is the Consumer Protection Act to protect consumers in the marketplace, whether the consumer is able to enforce these laws are questionable, (Mierzwinski, E. 2010. Colston E. Warne Lecture) In other words is it easy for vulnerable consumers to be protected from unscrupulous advertisers who target teenage audiences in social media, shopping malls, movie houses and television and

(2008), a ruling which attempts to protect consumers in the market place. Research is carried out on children and adolescents are protected from exposure to advertising that could result in them being negatively affected. Here support is given to public policies that encourage eg youth groups and religious organisations as well as educational institutions to educate consumers about the negative effects of materialism.

The focus of, Wu, E.C. (2011), centres around personality types and the consumers discovery of self in an attempt to define themselves. This is the same for teenagers but the difference is their lack of emotional intelligence and experience in the world that makes them vulnerable to advertising.
Everyone is vulnerable when experiencing difficulty at some time in the lives due to death, depression, stress etc and therefore defining vulnerability on the basis of who experiences it lacks clarity, D.E. Garrett., Journal of Consumer Affairs. Vol. 44(1) 2010,p.3-23. However, I allude once again to the fact the teenage consumers are vulnerable due to their lack of worldly knowledge and experience and are thus too easily influenced. What value does materialism add to one’s education and experience but the wish to acquire more material