Manufacturing Content

[Iknimaya]

What if, rather than advertising for the latest gadget, we advertised for simplicity? How would this impact our world? This is a possibility, anyone can buy an ad. What kind of message would this send? Imagine if we could recondition people to be satisfied with what they have rather than seeking new possessions. How much of our time would be freed to create something important to us? Rather than the soul crushing job of sitting in a concrete box, under a fluorescent lamp, in front of screen; working to make money to buy crap we don't need. Step back from the life you're conditioned to follow and think about alternatives like this. Everyone says that Avatar changed their life, but has it really? Are you radically different than the way you were before? How many of you rushed out to buy a blu-ray player and an HDTV last week? We say we have woken up, but we're still following the same old rules.

Imagine a big white billboard in Times Square with the simple message: “You already have enough.”
Imagine that we bought ads on Amazon, that appeared before people bought something: “You don’t need that, my friend.” OK, so Amazon would never allow an ad like that on their site, but you get the idea.
Imagine that credit cards came with the message “You don’t want debt” printed on them.
Imagine an iPhone operating system that detected when you’re about to go shopping on a website, and told you, “Be content with what you have. Let go of desire.”
Imagine if McDonald’s drive-thrus were lined with billboards that read, “Don’t be a glutton. Eat less, eat sustainably. Don’t supersize, simplify.”

Full article here: » manufacturing content :mnmlist

[ZenitYerkes]

I believe progress nowadays should be focused on perfecting our structure and lifestyle with simplicity rather than on adding more and more unnecessary stuff. EG: Less bureaucracy instead of more functionaries for new jobs.

But that's not as commercial as the always-heard "Buy/Eat/Drink/Wear this"

[Fighter-of-Wars]

I understand what you are saying. It is hard to do less and be content but I have begun to and have a good start. For lunch I now eat maybe a double cheeseburger and a small fry with water or maybe just the burger and water. The only new things I have bought recently was Avatar, and GoW3 before that and I can't remember what. I drive a 30 year old car around which was my dads. I don't buy many things new, like movies that I want I buy used (other than Avatar).

I am trying but it is hard to do. I feel good though that I have started.

[Fkeu'itan]

I like to say Avatar has changed my life... and it has without a shadow of a doubt. It made my life so much emotionally richer and beautiful than it ever was before.

But I see what you are saying completely.

I still sit in front of this computer screen, using electricity.
I still eat processed foods that I don't really need.
I still burn petrol to get where I need to go.
I still bought that Avatar Blu-ray.

But Eywa knows i'm trying...

[Iknimaya]

I think I didn't make myself clear... The idea is to change our thinking on society as a whole. We're obviously super-influenced by advertising. The whole point of advertising is to manufacture demand, i.e. we don't need an iPad, but the ads make it look cool. What if our advertising was different? Rather than attempting to manufacture demand, we tried to manufacture content. Rather than advertising for the latest gizmo or fashion, we could change our idea of what these ads are meant to do. What if there were TV commercials promoting recycling, composting, eating less meat, or planting a tree? There could be billboards encouraging family dinners at home, biking as transportation, and being content with what you already have. If we changed our focus from products and profits (things we have to spend hours working to earn the money to pay for) to people and experiences, could we be a happier, healthier species?

Really, the whole thing is a rhetorical project. Obviously, advertising won't be changing to this altruistic model anytime soon. It's more about changing our way of thinking about how we live and interact with the messages of "NEW! BUY! CONSUME!" that are thrown at us everyday.

[Helicoradian]

Originally Posted by Iknimaya

What if there were TV commercials promoting recycling, composting, eating less meat, or planting a tree? There could be billboards encouraging family dinners at home, biking as transportation, and being content with what you already have. If we changed our focus from products and profits (things we have to spend hours working to earn the money to pay for) to people and experiences, could we be a happier, healthier species?

Could we become a happier, healthier species without buying the latest and greatest "gizmo v2.x" or expensive designer items? I believe so.

But you'll never see ads like those because it's bad for business. Profit is a hard thing to give up...