People are surrounded by advertising, which has an increasing effect on our lives. Do you think the positive effects of this outweigh the negative effects?
ESSAY #319 FROM OUR BOOK
Whether it is on TV, internet, radio or hoardings at the side of the road, advertisements have become a part of our lives. While there are certain drawbacks, I believe that the beneficial effects of ads are far more.
The first benefit of advertisements is that they provide information on new products. If it were not for electronic and print advertising, many products would not be bought. In this way, advertising provides an important service to manufacturers and some consumers. Secondly, ads have a positive effect on the world economy as they help create more jobs. Advertising increases the demand for products and services, so more people are needed to manufacture, supply, ship and test them.
In addition, advertisements help make people make healthy choices and live a better life. For example, ads for pulse polio immunization, clean drinking water, nutritious diets and exercise etcetera have a positive effect on people’s health and reduces their risk of diseases. Ads bring about many positive social changes like curbs on female foeticide, equal rights for women and reduction of child labour. Finally, advertisements have a positive effect on the environment as they educate consumers about serious threats like climate change and steps that can be taken to address it.
However, adverts also have some downsides. The main drawback is that sometimes consumers buy these tempting products without the insight of what they actually need. This impulsive buying can upset people’s budgets and land them in debt. Another negative effect of advertisements is that they promote harmful products or misrepresent products and make false claims about them. For example, fast food ads have led to poor eating habits and an increase in problems like obesity and diabetes
To conclude, although there are certain drawbacks of adverts, I still consider their impact on society to be positive on the whole.
