About the author: Alice Grey is a bachelor in English philology and sociology at California University. She is currently working as one of the best writers at the saving money essay She also studies feminine psychology.

In the United States of America, people can acquire certain goods based on the concept of equality. However, they rarely attain as much equality as they would significantly desire. Advertisers and other big corporations use of what they already know concerning the society and its culture so that they can effectively manipulate its members towards purchasing a particular product or service. The American advertisement is rich in cultural elements because of the influence that culture has on the society’s consumption habits.

In as much as most members believe in equality and equal chances, in most cases, people strive to get what they desire that is “to rise above the crowd.” Thereby individuals fight over for privileged status and distinction, and as a matter of fact, it where the paradox of the American culture is incorporated. In addition, there are several contradictions in the Americans’ simultaneous desire for social elitism or superiority and the aspect of social populism.

This dream is constituted by two faces. Therefore, such faces are applied by the advertisers to administer their plans. Upon using a language that is a powerful tool of appealing to the subconscious, the advertisers do not only persuade but also manipulate the individuals towards purchasing whatever item they are offering. In short, the advertisers do not provide the consumers with the exact information about the product; they are keen on exercising what is called the behavior modification that works by pleasing of the sub-conscious emotions but not the intelligence of the conscious.

The advertisements aim at the exploitation of the discontentment that is associated with the American Dream. Moreover, the adverts seek to exploit the constant desire for the attainment of social success and the accompanying material rewards. The advertisements demonstrate the images of the desired life concerning various individuals and the important ideas at that instant. In the American society, the citizens are obsessed with the status. Therefore, the status symbol is critical for the American people. In their strategies, corporations and manufacturers focus on the status symbol as the American customers desire it. In the “Masters of Desire,” an example that applies to the American status symbol is Cadillac. The clients fell behind in the market of Europe due to the prestige of cars. When the new advertisement of cars came about, Cadillac started to be considered as the newest luxury cars.

Focusing on the freedom granted by the society of the democratic state, the aspect of social mobility has become an institutive component of the culture of the American nation. It is believed that a person that comes from the low class can rise to the upper class due to luck or hard work. The advertising in America exploits the traits and culture of the American society, and the dream of its people has been developed based on the aspect of social mobility. According to these beliefs, it is being constantly affirmed that a poor individual can acquire a fortune and make it very huge within a less than a stipulated period. As a result, the majority of individuals are working harder and buying more to improve their social status and climb the ladder of the professional and social hierarchy.

Individuals aim to improve themselves and their lives. Thus, high ending products of advertising have implicated that the dream of the American society can be attained using the advertised goods and services. The created image of a successful person is actively exploited to manipulate the groups towards the consumption of particular items. The Americans that are focusing on showing their wealth will look for products that can be purchased only by the wealthy American individuals. As a result, the citizens of a lower class feel envious and can only dream about owning that item of such a high value or prestige thus striving to achieve the American Dream.

The rich Americans do not need the latest versions of the mega cars, or those with technological features that have a high capacity. However, the society has instilled the desire for the luxury lifestyles and introduced the degree of envy in the lower-income groups of the nation. Both the admirable image and the envy aspects of the product being showcased are instilled by the advertisers. For example, the advert of Mercedes-Benz for example, “you will not believe what lie under the hood.” Thus, the Mercedes is very classy and is presumed to be the “beast.”

The subconscious mind is made to believe that individuals seen driving the luxury vehicles are regarded to be wealthy, rich, and significant in the society. If it were not for that vehicle, such person would be viewed as the other average members of the society, and no one would have imagined that he or she earns over $200000 per annum. Solomon in his article makes the point clear by elaborating that if it were not for those Mercedes Benz and the townhouse at Manhattan, or the parvenu Wall Street; then the billionaire could not be isolated from that man that tailors his suits.

However, those members of the upper class that can manage to acquire the most expensive clothing and cars do not constitute the destruction that is generated by such type of advertising. However, all the members of the society are influenced by the advert. It can be explained by the fact that those groups of the individuals have that liquidity status to spend cash on the services and products that they do not actively require. The issue comes from the middle and low-class groups. If the low-status individual desires to feel prestigious or significant, he or she will tend to follow what is portrayed in the advertisements, which Will make such individuals maintain a lifestyle that is above their means.

The illusion that has been instilled in the advertising is so impactful that a citizen of the low status or the middle class would gather all his or her savings and purchase the most expensive vehicle, for example. It would be made only to acquire the status of the wealthy individuals and be treated respectively. The sad part is that the social superiority and populism is implemented at the cost of other basic and important commodities like food, schooling, and clothing.

The two main target segments of the population are actively and effectively influenced by the advertising industry, which has wisely incorporated the two major approaches to the modern lifestyle. At the same time, the increased awareness on the environmental preservation determines the kind of products that people consume and the American dream of amassing the social status level. This trend has been reflected in the advertising approaches, which gives room for the creativity of advertising campaigns that focus on these trends and newly adopted preferences of the Americans.

Additionally, the mind twisting generated by advertising has played a destructive role to the poor individuals in the inner city. The advertising illusion has propagated the low class to do everything within their capacity to create an image of the successful person and acquire the desired status, which, as he/she believes, can be attained through the purchase and demonstration of the advertised commodity. The grave effects of this cultural and social tendency are the involvement of the people in drug trafficking and other illegal activities that may generate higher income. The advert has impacted an image of trying to live beyond the status quo.

Another advertising concept that has been instilled in the everyday culture of the nation and that has a destructive impact on the society is the sex groups. Solomon adds that sex never fails as the attention stimulator. Basing on the religion and morals, sex is being widely applied in the advertisement industry and is thereby corrupting the culture of the American society. The true image is that sex is something that is meant to become and remain private. However, that has been the exact opposite of what is revealed when the advertisements are portrayed. The culture of beautiful body desired by everyone has been incorporated into everyday lives of the American as well as their perception of the world and their selves.

The advertisers use the illusion that a specific commodity can make one very sexy and attractive even for those items having no relationship with the sex by any means. For example, beer. The commercial on Doritos showcases a beautiful young woman carrying a bag and acting like a Superhero. However, the truth is that most women would not like the one who consumes Doritos. Most of the advertisements bring forth the fantasies to the upper perception and have the hypnotizing effect on the consumer. All these misconceptions laid by the advertisers are generating a mindset and a perception that is making the users behave in a manner that is based on the unconsciousness being manipulated.

From the other side, there is another aspect of the American culture that is used by the advertising industry. Large parts of the American population prefer a simple life and in many cases view rural life as better than the urban life. This approach determines how they consume products and services and what products and services they prefer. They believe in the idea of self-actualization. It has endeared many of these consumers to nature, which forms the psychological basis of their purchasing pattern.

According to this culture, a good life is not the one that is characterized by political influence, use of technology in various aspects of life, movement up the social status, or amassment of wealth. To them, a happy life is one that is not self-realization in the society or in the eyes of other citizens; it is not about wealth, money, fame or influence but rather seeks to serve others and connect to nature. These two life approaches seem to project this country into two dimensions; a country of immense economic opportunities characterized by consumer delight and as the world of people who live by virtues and guiding principles. This society has over the years shifted over the ideas of less accumulation and that of more abundant living.

The two opposing aspects of the American culture and view of a good life are replicated in the popular art, advertising, and entertainment. One side is exhibited by the “Sears advertising campaigns.” The approach adopted here is that appliances, cloths, electronics and other personal care products are essential elements of a good life. Nebraska uses, “Nebraska the good life,” may be taken as an example of the advertising slogans. Personal care, good looking, and entertainment are viewed as the source of happiness in life. From the other side, the cultural aspect of simplicity and proximity to nature and organic products is another manifestation of the American culture that is widely used in advertising campaigns to attract the customers that view this as the epitome of good life.

Although the idea by Sears may seem alluring in that the commodities are the basic elements of a happy life, they, however, fail to notice that they have all come from nature by the way of the raw materials utilized in their production. In the second argument, nature provides the psychological and spiritual healing because of the environment it provides for the individuals.

The aspect of social elitism or superiority and the element of social populism in the American lifestyle have granted the advertiser an opportunity to exploit the culture of status obsession to attract a large group towards the purchase of their commodities. The consumption habits of the American population have been impacted by advertising appeals. It is the trending and most renowned criteria that the adverts have in fact incorporated the sexual appeals towards the high social status lifestyle of the American. All individuals are trying to imitate such advert by living beyond their means thereby straining the basic resources that can be channeled effectively for other important elements.

From the book, Purification and simplification, a perfect example of the individual that is succumbed to the American paradox and living the dream of the America’s social obsession is Kenneth Burk. The individual was a conservative environmentalist that did not participate in the purchase of commodities that had no special application. However, the new psychological aspects imposed by the advertiser to the Americans have made the face of this culture become manipulative in the real sense. The advertisers are seeking to persuade the population that their consumption habits are entirely resting of the cultural aspect of the social status significance. Individuals purchase to earn the title, the privilege, and the fame. The idea of simple life, therefore, has proven to be rhetoric among the Americans population. The consumption is dependent of the manipulative impact that has been instilled in the consumer’s mind by the advertisers. They are lured by conscientious rather than conspicuous consumption.

The popularity of the conscious lifestyle has brought about the notion of voluntary simplicity. The manipulative aspects of advertisers have been successfully followed by the American individuals to showcase their status of living and ability to afford certain commodities. It is informed by the personal decision of the individuals to choose a simple approach to their consumption and how they life their life. It is a contemporary version of simplicity that is popular among the members of the modern society.

Advertisers manipulation is visible in the magazines, television networks, films, and books. According to this new way of thinking, the modern American consumer values are destructive thus recipe for a bad life. The influence of advertisement have created another fashionable trend that determines a different approach to life. Different trends have appeared that dictate popular activities and the “right” lifestyle. For example, how and where to go for vacation, what houses to construct or buy, the landscaping and outdoor design to apply. The new movement seeks to change the consumption attitude of the Americans by embracing the assertions of Burke over the way the people ought to interact with nature. Although the ideas of simple living seem not to have had a very significant influence on the American consumption habits, they have, however, left the middle class in dilemma.

They are torn between accumulating wealth and making their lives less complicated. The focus is dependent on the social status aspect. To be distinguished, though must have what it takes as represented by the advertisers in their manipulative aspects to win the consumers towards the purchase of their items.

Due to the deeply instilled culture propagated by the advertisers that focuses mostly on the social status paradigm, they have not been able to fully embrace simplicity ideas even though it is becoming a popular trend thus putting pressure on them. This group has not precisely defined where they belong. Therefore, it is evident that the mass culture greatly influences the consumer preferences.

The counter argument for this view of life stipulates that good life is a life made simple by more rather than less. The “more” proponents argue that life of abundance makes things simpler by providing easy solutions. It sees science and technology as the solution to many of problems in the US. Technology makes life simple by providing the solution to tasks and formulating new ways of doing things that would not be possible by human effort. According to this class of thought, simple life is not a life devoid of technology. It is the conventional attitude that promotes consumerism.

At the current state, the Americans have fallen victims to the fallacy within the advertisements. The advert, in most cases, is focused towards a common person by indicating some actors who resemble the normal individuals. The adverts make the average American relate with such a commercial and eventually buy the commodity. The worst has been revealed by the adverts and the various media forms channeling such shows.

The society agitates for voluntary simplicity that denounces artificiality and embraces the life of more. This is a paradox since it only gives the opportunity to choose to those who can afford to life affluent life. The poor in the society do not have a choice between more or less. They are living the life of want not because they like but rather because it is the life they are born into. This notion is thus coined from the personal needs. The advertising industry creates a new dimension for consumerism that is conscious of the environment and manipulates the consumer towards living beyond their means.

The American dream of acquiring the status quo has made the individuals result in some corrupt means of acquiring such wealth and prestige. The advertisers are taking advantage of the influence that is being laid by the social media to manipulate the consumer’s state of mind and not to persuade them, as it should be in the real sense.

The American consumer would presume that he or she has a good perceptive capacity to make sense of the difference between buying an item and not falling for advertising manipulation. Whatever is portrayed is not always the case. Jack Solomon is correct on the various elements that encompass advertising. For instance, all consumers are striving for conformation and elitism. However, some elements appear to fog that judgment. Solomon pays no attention to the human capacity of differentiating whether the item being purchased is a good one or a bad one, with concerns about advertising.