[jnsaff2]

Yeah, also let’s not forget that the whole idea of ads is to sell people crap they don’t need. Industries are built to turn the environment into disposable products that people would not miss at all if they wouldn’t know about them. There’s obviously the question what would people do if they would not work for companies that produce waste and their actual needs have been met but I don’t think the current way is the correct answer, and there’s a huge part of the world who’s needs (food, shelter, clothing, self-actualization) are not being met.

[salawat]

You were probably downvoted for taking the position that you are the judge of what other people need, but besides that error, I think you bring up an interesting point.

It is an uncomfortable truth that we have yet to really contemplate as a society.

Consumerism ISN'T sustainable, and society will grow to a point where we are going to see seemingly fundamental systems start to crumble beneath the sheer weight of consumption.

We have to be willing to ask "should we?" in addition to "can we?"

[smichel17]

> Yeah, also let’s not forget that the whole idea of ads is to sell people crap they don’t need.

That doesn't have to be true. Done right, ads can be about making more people aware of a product, to reach people who genuinely benefit from it but would not otherwise have heard about it. That's the advertising future I'd like to see, even if it's not how things are right now.

[gaius]

If that were true all ads would simply be a bullet point list of features - branding would not exist, there would be no pretty models in the ad, etc etc etc

The argument that ads are about informing consumer just doesn’t stand up to reality. The whole concept is flawed.