Over consumption

I have been very disturbed lately. About a month ago I watched a music video show and noticed that for the whole time the music was the same. I don’t mean the same song playing over and over, just the same sounds, baseline and rhythms, and melodies. And it was not to my taste. Most of the videos featured sexy bodies dancing to the music obviously appealing to the animal instinct of the human psyche.

I have also noticed that a lot of the TV shows on the box at the moment are identical too. The CSI’s are all the same, as too are all these reality shows, etc. It got so bad that I haven’t watched much TV this week for fear of becoming boring as the shows. Yet, when I am out I hear people talk about how great the shows/ new songs are.

I thought first that I am getting too old, yet still can’t find any grey hairs. Then I thought by living overseas, my tastes had refined. No, that’s not true either. I also noticed that I was not affected by the evolution of what is mainstream while overseas, which means coming back and listening/ watching entertainment I have a new perspective, one that is possible to attach value by making accurate snap decisions.

And this brings up another point. When the entertainment firms do their market research why do they choose things that are the same and many good things go amiss. When I was in Uni in Brisbane I had a friend who was setting up a band, think a softer version of Limp Bizkit or 28 days (I think they were groups most similar to the fusion sounds of my friends group). They were never able to book a gig as they were to alternative and the venue owners were afraid no patrons would come. That was a shame as I had the pleasure of listening to them play at a house party and they rocked. I bet this story is repeated all over the world.

According to economic theory, the reason for this is not to take chances. The trade off the promoter (or venue owner/ publishing company etc) faces is either mass appeal or fringe. This I think leads to a lack of new quality entertainment. And to generate the mass appeal we, the people, need to have our tastes modified by ceaseless advertising and hype so we know what to like. With the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 approaching, I can not help notice that the games shop that I pass everyday has the walls plastered up with advertising, and today they had a big poster telling everyone that exactly midnight of the day it is released the shop will open to sell the game.

I think since I have returned to Australia, this constant consumerism driven by advertising has finally worn me down, and I actually feel that in general this is bad for people’s well being as it creates unnecessary stress. I feel it takes people out of enjoying the little moments that make a life. I must confess that I do long for a simple advertising free world.

Random advertising outside the mainstream thinking

Post Thought Clarification

I am not against advertising (in its true form) as its purpose is to make people aware of things that can help them enjoy more from life. What I am against is the way it is used to influence people to buy or consume things that are not needed, and its constant overuse.