Do you think advertisers have a
moral duty to avoid using stereotypes?
Stereotypes In my opinion are generalisations of large
groups, usually, they are distinct characterisations that have been made in the past,
but have carried on into modern society. The majority of stereotypes are offensive to people, usually connecting with age or culture. However, the
majority of popular advertisements use stereotypes which come sometimes
come off as offensive, so why are they doing it?
I believe the most valid argument to why they are using
stereotypes is to connect with an audience. A large number of
advertisements only have a few seconds to sell a product so if mention a
stereotype they safe valuable time, which is money. Stereotypes are easy to
connect with if we have experienced them or heard of them from the past,
if specific products are aimed toward a specific audience, instead of saying
directly who it’s for they indirectly tell it, using a stereotype.
Furthermore, do the advertisers have a moral duty to avoid
using stereotypes? In my opinion they do have a moral duty to avoid using
stereotypes, however there end product is to sell a good to consumers, if using
a stereotype easily identifies an audience quickly then they shall do what
is best for the company, not there moral duty.
Lastly coming back to whether advertisements can be offensive, I believe there is a boundary to the use of a stereotype . In a lot of modern advertisements, advertisers use
stereotypes very indirectly, if the stereotype is easily identifiable by a
majority of people, then the overall concept of implying it is not met due
to the fact they are being extremely offensive.
Hi Andrew, whilst I did myself agree with the fact that "advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotypes," I never paid attention to the fact that the purpose of doing so was directly linked to the fact that "time" is restrained in an advert and hence simply using stereotypes eliminates the need to elaborate on certain aspects. Thus, your analysis in this perspective is quite observant. You mentioned that there is a "boundary" to the use of a stereotype, however who, in your opinion, has the power to establish these "boundaries"? Well done!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I truly enjoyed reading your blogpost about Stereotypes being portrayed in ads as you have used an effective clear structure and style of language that allows audience to connect with your ideas. I believe this is the case because you go straight to the point rather than expanding on irrelevant details. Although this is a skilful act that people develop while writing, I think it is important to expand on your vocabulary in order to have a high language style that would evoke a deeper sense of analysis. I also realised that spelling mistakes can hinder an effect towards the audience with phrases such as : "the safe valuable time" as well as "there end product". Even though this does not have a great effect on the reader- it is important to keep grammar and punctation in mind to have an effectively message to the audience. Something that caught my attention was when you use rhetorical questions to appeal to the audience reasoning. This is evident when you say: "So why are they doing it?" Not to forget when you show both perspectives of the us of stereotypes in ads by saying: "In my opinion they do have a moral duty to avoid using stereotypes, however- if using a stereotype easily identifies an audience quickly then they shall do what is best for the company, not there moral duty." Clearly this provokes deeper analytical skills that is a skill needed for this course. I am looking forward for your future blogposts. Well done!
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