Our Culture Is Lacking Authenticity

As sad as it is, I honestly do not think our culture has anything authentic. I don’t think our generation has anything that we can call our own. I think this is because of corporate sponsorship and the fact that the media has pretty much taken over our lives. Everywhere we look there are advertisements that are constantly telling us what is “cool” and accepted. They tell us what to buy to fit in. While I do believe that everyone is unique in their personality, I do believe that this significant role of the media has led to conformity and less individuality. We are all more alike because we all buy the same things that are shown through the media. Advertisements infiltrate our daily lives so much that it becomes hard to ignore them, and when we have to make a choice of what to buy, we buy what we have seen advertised. I think this has led to our culture becoming so brand and label conscious. I think it is sad but very realistic that our culture doesn’t have anything unique to it. Almost everything starts out as “unique” but then becomes mainstream and for everyone. For example, the clown band in the movie we watched in class was unique because it was only for people who would listen to their live concerts. The band definitely prided themselves on this, but eventually sold out to a music label. I think the fact that our generation doesn’t have anything unique matters to me because it shows how we are losing a sense of identity and we are all conforming to what the media tells us to be, which is really unfortunate.

Why do we listen to others?

I definately think the statement, "It's a shame that the people who are listening to you the most are only interested in you because they want you and your peers to buy their product" is true today. It's sad, but this statement is definitely valid. People today listen to others usually for their own personal gain. They are looking for something to get out of it that will help them, and they usually don't just listen to listen. I think this definitely shows in advertising companies. They listen to what consumers say so they know what works and what doesn't. They need to know which of their marketing techniques lure consumers to buy their products so they can ultimately use them to make more money. This is also shown in other aspects of life, such as when teenagers only listen to their parents before they tell them they want money for something or that they broke their cell phone and need a new one. We interact with others for a personal gain, not just to be nice.