Jotting #21 Consumption and Advertising

Prompt: Discuss the ideas that Kilbourne (Can't Buy My Love) and Levine (Not Buying It) share. How does consumption and advertising help shape Levine’s sense of self?

My Response: Both Kilbourne and Levine share many different ideas. One in particular that seemed evident in both authors’ articles was the idea of brand loyalty. Levine went into detail about her smart wool socks and how wonderful they were. In fact she couldn’t even go outside skiing because she could not find those socks. If she could not wear those socks nothing else could go on. On the same note Kilbourne discusses the fact that advertising companies start young in their campaigns towards young children. The Turner Cartoon Network estimates that kids influence “over $130 billion of their parents spending annually”. This young target audience, if hit right on, will develop brand loyalty and an addiction to consumption that is exhibited by Levine and her wool socks. Levine’s addiction to consumption is further seen as she mentions after looking at 10-15$ handbags that she would “love one of those handbags”.

Just as Levine explains that possession gives a “flicker of warmth” that quickly cools so too does Kilbourne, if not directly, touch on the fact that ads are quick little blurbs intended to peek your interest. These ads provide no extensive satisfaction but merely make the desire more pressing.

The sharing of ideas between Kilbourne and Levine is most prominent as Levine sums up what she feels is the job of the consumer culture: “The job of consumer culture . . . is to blur the line between need and want.”

It is seen throughout these introductory pages that consumption and advertising has shaped Levine’s sense of self. She is continually faced with things that she feels would be wonderful to have. Expectations rise, she explains using Plato’s words, just as the sea is pulled by the moon. No person is immune from advertising and consumption and she see herself being affected by it in her everyday life. From her smart wool socks to the pretty handbags, she wants these things so much that it becomes difficult to determine between desire and need.