Walking in Waterloo Region

[dtkvictim]

As for whether people have any agency...that is a wildly philosophical question. I am not suggesting that you see an SUV ad and you become an automaton who goes to the dealer and buys a truck immediately.

But the point is this has been a slow progressive movement. Advertisements influence culture, but they are not the whole experience of a person in society. Now they also see other cars on the roads, have friends and family who have cars, all these influence as well...and guess what, over time, more and more of these other experiences also include trucks and SUVs...but the thing CREATING that gradual change has, IMO been the auto industry. So yes, even if you isolate yourself from advertising, you're not going to be isolated from the effects of a decades long campaign by the auto industry.

I totally agree with that, but I still think the end result is consumer choice. The population can't wash their hands of any negative consequences of following through on propaganda, advertising or otherwise.

Maybe it's a meaningless philosophical distinction to you or others, but it feels like giving up any capability to fight back against those who put information before our eyeballs.