Vulnerable, isolated individuals become easy targets for advertising messages telling them that just one more consumer purchase will enable them to meet artificially imposed standards of beauty, lifestyle, and material ‘success’.
In traditional societies, personal identity is grounded in deep community ties and a connection to place. In the modern economy, increasing mobility, competition, and dependence on a centralized market have eroded these relationships, destabilizing our sense of security and belonging. Vulnerable, isolated individuals become easy targets for advertising messages telling them that just one more consumer purchase will enable them to meet artificially imposed standards of beauty, lifestyle, and material ‘success’.