Children and Advertising- expanding on previous blog entry (wk 5)

Further reading during this module has stimulated me into expanding on a point introduced in my week 5 blog entitled: ‘Children and Advertising’.

As briefly mentioned in the original entry, children are now seen as consumers (Lusted, 2009). Evans (2005) extends this point further, imploring that in the lives of contemporary children possessions are very important, thus influencing the development of children as consumers (Kline, 1993 cited in Evans 2005). Evans (2005. pp. 108) argues that manufacturers “capture” children through ‘inventive television programs, through persuasive advertising and marketing, and through film tie-ins’, therefore reinforcing the later points in the original entry which state that children are exposed to advertisements so frequently that they may not be able to distinguish between an advert and their television programme.

In illustrating this theory, Evans (2005) conducted some research with a small group of primary school pupils to find out what they thought about their roles as consumers in the Beanie Babies (soft, collectable toy) market, and whether they felt they were being manipulated in the global marketing campaign. This research proved that by encouraging discussion around the topic of advertisements and their purposes, children realised their vulnerability to the power of adverts, and were more ‘conscious of exactly how they were being positioned in today’s market place’ (Evans, 2005. pp. 120-121). By conducting such activities in school, Evans (2005. pp. 123) suggests that it enables children to reflect on their every-day life decisions, such as: ‘decisions in relation to making choices about what they buy, eat, drink, listen to, and so on’.

Although learning about advertisements in class will without a doubt extend and develop children’s persuasive vocabulary and offer them an alternative style to write in, it is questionable as to whether it will really impact on their role as consumers. Drawing on one of the main problems associated with advertising highlighted in the original blog entry regarding the peer pressure felt by children to conform to the consumer society, despite being aware of the intent of the manufacturers, children will still be under pressure to keep up with the children who continue to be consumers of popular products, therefore it could be argued that this cycle will continue regardless of instruction within schools.

 

Evans J (2005) Literacy Moves On- Popular culture, new technologies, and critical literacies in the elementary classroom. Portsmouth: Heinemann