Analysis Example: Ads for Climate Change
I wrote this piece thinking it was going to go one way, and ended it in a whole different direction - something I would not recommend for anyone trying to be coherent in their writing, and a notion you will most likely feel when reading this piece for yourself. However, with a few edits and perhaps a stronger plot weaving throughout, I believe this piece has some potential to be an interesting analysis of the power of information, intentionally crafted and delivered, to make a real difference in the world (which is a really cool thing).
Ads for Climate Change
Rotem Landesman
It’s no secret that Black Friday, or the start of the craze of the shopping season, is one of the most ecologically Links to an external site. harmful holidays our contemporary, capitalist society ever invented. Putting aside the financial risk and illogical conclusion many reach at home that buying three pairs of boots mid-winter is completely reasonable, the amount of shipping materials, transportation related emissions, and impacts on the environment coming from the fast fashion trends we are consistently trying to achieve is astounding.
But can you blame us? I don’t know about others (since often, marketing data is kept close to heart) but I have seen more ads for boots and shoes and gifts for her and gifts for them and him in the past month than I believe I’ve seen in my entire life. The pressure of getting your loved ones gifts is well documented during this time of year, and Americans especially report having “seasonal Links to an external site. anxiety Links to an external site.” of sorts during this time - and not because of the big dark. As we know, social media especially works on our most intimate psychological mechanisms to leave us vulnerable to marketing approaches - so again, can we really be blamed for over consumption during a holiday that signals for us to do so?
I’ve often wondered what responsibility I, as an individual living on Earth, have to preserve its natural habitat. More importantly, I’ve often wondered how much impact I could possibly make on this preservation, even if I decide that it is the value that will lead everything I do from this day forth. You’d think it was so simple; the world is warming, recycle more, bike to school, be nice to your neighbor, wars stop, hunger ends, hallelujah. The human race, however, has the unique talent to make everything, and especially the climate crisis that affects each and every one of us, albeit at different speeds but effects nonetheless, so complex. Take for example the various and surprisingly plenty of conspiracy theories Links to an external site. out there about climate change. Mis and disinformation flying around about some great conspiracy called the Great Reset Theory (firmly rooted in anti-semitism, to no one’s surprise) tells us that climate activists are trying to get us to eat less meat and more bugs instead (what?), and organizations like Citizens Links to an external site. for Responsible Solar Links to an external site. are actively blocking Links to an external site. communities from obtaining sustainable solar solutions that may propel their communities into the future and save the planet on the way.
After looking at these theories, it seems to me I have even less of a chance to make a difference by recycling my paper products or composting in my apartment’s kitchen. It’s a little bit like voting, where my vote theoretically has the power to make a difference, but does it really, REALLY matter? This is what’s called the “collective action problem Links to an external site.” that’s commonly studied in ethics. Simply stated, the problem is that if everyone goes along thinking their one small act of indecency, or littering, or bad act is insignificant to the collective, no one will stop themselves from doing the bad thing, and will refrain from collaborating with one another to make the collective space a more palatable space to live in.
Maybe the answer, however convoluted, lies in the power of marketing. The season’s spendings got me thinking that if advertisements have such a huge impact on our thinking and actions, perhaps we can use those same mechanisms to spread information about what we CAN do, as individual citizens, to protect our environment and make our drop in the ocean count. I am not the first to have this idea, and I find it fascinating; the more I read Links to an external site. about companies using their widespread reach to change the world for the better and encourage a lower-carbon lifestyle, the more hope I have for the future. Take, for example, Ikea Links to an external site. - in 2021, the company launched an ‘Activists Without Knowing It’ campaign, which linked actions that people take at home - like taking a shower instead of a bath - with environmental data to show how easy it can be to live in a sustainable way. They also “‘hacked’ Black Friday, notorious for driving excessive consumption, and turned it into ‘Buy Back Friday’ by encouraging customers to become part of the circular economy that day and return or buy second-hand IKEA furniture”. It’s a start!
Through researching just the tip of the iceberg about how the information we consume, and especially the kind programmed to make us feel a certain way and buy a certain thing, I’ve come to realize might help us feel less like one raindrop in the warming pot that is Earth. I’m not calling for blatant manipulation of consumers to buy more things, or even a radical cry to change the incentive structures of our society and incentive to live a slower life. But using the power of advertising to make us better humans and consumers? That seems plausible. We can make a difference - perhaps we just need to see some ads along the way.