Influence & Persuasion: Crash Course Media Literacy #6
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
TheSyrian
Video summary:
Advertisement: A publice notice promoting a product, event, or service.
Public relations(PR): The management of the relationships between the public and a brand
Propaganda: Information distributed with the direct purpose of promoting a certain point of view.
This info is often misleading or biased, and propaganda is usually used to promote specific viewpoints.
Market research: Experiments carried out to discover what make us want to buy things.
Advertisers use that knowledge to tap into our desires, often exploiting our most basic needs.
One of the pioneers of market research was Edward Bernays. Working in the 1920s and '30s he wrote:
-The human being, male or female is a herd animal. Man is fearful of solitude. He is more sensitive to the voice of the herd than to any other influence. That is from his 1923 book Crystallizing publice opinion, which became a classic in the public relations field. It detailed how humans can be persuaded to change their habits if it will help them to follow the crowd.
Advertisements love to play on this need, and that is how trends and fads happen in the first place.
In the 1940's psychologist Abraham Maslow added another piece to this puzzle. He identified a hierarchy of needs he said all humans had.
At the base, the foundation,
all humans need food and water, shelter, and sleep.
Above that, they need to be safe, too.
Then comes the need for love and feeling like you belong somewhere.
After that, we need to feel accomplished, like we matter.
At the tippy top of the pyramid is the need to fulfill our destiny, to be our best selves.
All of these needs, combined with our natural desire to follow the crowd, are like little buttoms on our hearts amd brains. Advertisements press different combinations of buttons in hopes that we will respond the right way.
The sales pitch of most modern ads is that product x will satisfy your need for y.
For example, security systems promise one of our most basic needs; safety.
Once an advertiser knows which need button to press, they need to persuade you that it will work.
There are a few things that persuade us:
1- Authority: if we think the person talking is an expert, we are likely to believe them.
example: -5 out of 5 dentists recommend- toothpaste commercials
2- likeability: If we like them, are friends with them, or trust them, we are also likely to listen.
That is why brands use extremely popular and respected celebrities, like, say: Leonardo Dicaprio to sell watches or perfumes.
3- Consistency: If what is being said vibes with what we already believe, we will probably go along with it.
example: If everything you have heard about this new true crime podcast says it is great and thrilling and awesome. You probably would not believe your coworker's negative review of it.
4- Consensus: If it is popular, we are easily swayed to think it is good, too.
5- Scarcity: If we think it is a scarce resource and we could have a piece of it, it is even more attractive.
example: If everyone else had an Iphone and you didn't, you would probably really want one. And if a limited edition version came out that was signed by a popular personality, you would want that one even more
Advertisers also use logical fallacies to persuade us.
Logical fallacies like:
1- Appeal to emotions: This is when an ad convinces you to take action by tugging at your heartstrings.
example: these sad sick dogs commercials with the Sarah Mclachlan song.
2- False dilemma:
When an ad shows you a limited number of choices so you won't consider all the options.
example: Laundry detergent ads seem to always go head to head with another brand, but only one other brand, even though there are dozens.
3- Red herring: The presentation of something totally irrelevant to distract you from the issue at hand.
This happens in politics all the time.
example: A TV campaign ad during a local election that shouted somethkng totally unrelated at you? like -Do not elect Dan, his daughter eats cereal! - And suddenly you are wondering what is wrong with eating cereal
until you forget that cereal has nothing to do with politics.
4- Traditional wisdom(Appeal to tradition):
The idea that you should pick something because that is how your grandmom or old man used it
reply
Video summary:
Advertisement: A publice notice promoting a product, event, or service.
Public relations(PR): The management of the relationships between the public and a brand
Propaganda: Information distributed with the direct purpose of promoting a certain point of view.
This info is often misleading or biased, and propaganda is usually used to promote specific viewpoints.
Market research: Experiments carried out to discover what make us want to buy things.
Advertisers use that knowledge to tap into our desires, often exploiting our most basic needs.
One of the pioneers of market research was Edward Bernays. Working in the 1920s and '30s he wrote:
-The human being, male or female is a herd animal. Man is fearful of solitude. He is more sensitive to the voice of the herd than to any other influence. That is from his 1923 book Crystallizing publice opinion, which became a classic in the public relations field. It detailed how humans can be persuaded to change their habits if it will help them to follow the crowd.
Advertisements love to play on this need, and that is how trends and fads happen in the first place.
In the 1940's psychologist Abraham Maslow added another piece to this puzzle. He identified a hierarchy of needs he said all humans had.
At the base, the foundation,
all humans need food and water, shelter, and sleep.
Above that, they need to be safe, too.
Then comes the need for love and feeling like you belong somewhere.
After that, we need to feel accomplished, like we matter.
At the tippy top of the pyramid is the need to fulfill our destiny, to be our best selves.
All of these needs, combined with our natural desire to follow the crowd, are like little buttoms on our hearts amd brains. Advertisements press different combinations of buttons in hopes that we will respond the right way.
The sales pitch of most modern ads is that product x will satisfy your need for y.
For example, security systems promise one of our most basic needs; safety.
Once an advertiser knows which need button to press, they need to persuade you that it will work.
There are a few things that persuade us:
1- Authority: if we think the person talking is an expert, we are likely to believe them.
example: -5 out of 5 dentists recommend- toothpaste commercials
2- likeability: If we like them, are friends with them, or trust them, we are also likely to listen.
That is why brands use extremely popular and respected celebrities, like, say: Leonardo Dicaprio to sell watches or perfumes.
3- Consistency: If what is being said vibes with what we already believe, we will probably go along with it.
example: If everything you have heard about this new true crime podcast says it is great and thrilling and awesome. You probably would not believe your coworker's negative review of it.
4- Consensus: If it is popular, we are easily swayed to think it is good, too.
5- Scarcity: If we think it is a scarce resource and we could have a piece of it, it is even more attractive.
example: If everyone else had an Iphone and you didn't, you would probably really want one. And if a limited edition version came out that was signed by a popular personality, you would want that one even more
Advertisers also use logical fallacies to persuade us.
Logical fallacies like:
1- Appeal to emotions: This is when an ad convinces you to take action by tugging at your heartstrings.
example: these sad sick dogs commercials with the Sarah Mclachlan song.
2- False dilemma:
When an ad shows you a limited number of choices so you won't consider all the options.
example: Laundry detergent ads seem to always go head to head with another brand, but only one other brand, even though there are dozens.
3- Red herring: The presentation of something totally irrelevant to distract you from the issue at hand.
This happens in politics all the time.
example: A TV campaign ad during a local election that shouted somethkng totally unrelated at you? like -Do not elect Dan, his daughter eats cereal! - And suddenly you are wondering what is wrong with eating cereal
until you forget that cereal has nothing to do with politics.
4- Traditional wisdom(Appeal to tradition):
The idea that you should pick something because that is how your grandmom or old man used it
reply
JeshikaKazeno
I saw an example of -using crappy logic to get you to buy something- just the other day. Somebody went through how ridiculously difficult it is to make a weighted blanket (used by autistic folks etc. The most ridiculous point they made was about cost.
See, in the real world, the monetary cost of making something yourself = the cost of materials. That's not how they put it. They asked you to imagine yourself paying $15 an hour to make it, driving the cost up past $100. Therefore, it was reasonable to. buy a weighted blanket from the author. The whole damn article was a cleverly-concealed advertisement.
Unless you decided to make a weighted blanket by taking time off work (where you were apparently paid $15 an hour) to make the whole thing, the cost does not add up. If your cost of materials is more like $30, then congratulations, you have over $70 left that you can spend on other things, like food and rent.
This sort of thing especially drives me nuts when it's a medical thing that many people have trouble affording. These blankets can make a huge difference for autistic people like myself, but they are expensive as balls, especially for adult sizes. That someone would take advantage of people's desperation disgusts me.
(Note: making such a thing is definitely not for everyone. What angers me is that the article tried to turn people away from making their own, even if they might be perfectly capable of making it)
reply
I saw an example of -using crappy logic to get you to buy something- just the other day. Somebody went through how ridiculously difficult it is to make a weighted blanket (used by autistic folks etc. The most ridiculous point they made was about cost.
See, in the real world, the monetary cost of making something yourself = the cost of materials. That's not how they put it. They asked you to imagine yourself paying $15 an hour to make it, driving the cost up past $100. Therefore, it was reasonable to. buy a weighted blanket from the author. The whole damn article was a cleverly-concealed advertisement.
Unless you decided to make a weighted blanket by taking time off work (where you were apparently paid $15 an hour) to make the whole thing, the cost does not add up. If your cost of materials is more like $30, then congratulations, you have over $70 left that you can spend on other things, like food and rent.
This sort of thing especially drives me nuts when it's a medical thing that many people have trouble affording. These blankets can make a huge difference for autistic people like myself, but they are expensive as balls, especially for adult sizes. That someone would take advantage of people's desperation disgusts me.
(Note: making such a thing is definitely not for everyone. What angers me is that the article tried to turn people away from making their own, even if they might be perfectly capable of making it)
reply
Alex
I used to love videogames a lot more but nowadays many of them use those limited time events that I began to hate after a while because of that addictive feeling that I need to get a scarce thing which followed by spending a lot of time on getting it. That's why today I usually prefer a single player PC videogame over an mmo. That's why I don't even look at mobile gaming anymore.
reply
I used to love videogames a lot more but nowadays many of them use those limited time events that I began to hate after a while because of that addictive feeling that I need to get a scarce thing which followed by spending a lot of time on getting it. That's why today I usually prefer a single player PC videogame over an mmo. That's why I don't even look at mobile gaming anymore.
reply
ihartevil
the first one was actually mcdonalds i am loving it so you were off with your own ad
thx for this awesomely ha bisky vid still and luckily ads dont work i havent been to a mc donalds in ever and i have been trying to boycott it since i was 4 if not younger (that got me yelled at several times)
reply
the first one was actually mcdonalds i am loving it so you were off with your own ad
thx for this awesomely ha bisky vid still and luckily ads dont work i havent been to a mc donalds in ever and i have been trying to boycott it since i was 4 if not younger (that got me yelled at several times)
reply
MusicalRaichu
Crash Course -- because you deserve to know!
Watch Crash Course so you can be smarter than the neighbours!
I know that because I watched it on Crash Course!
ok ok i'll let the experts come up with the slogans.
reply
Crash Course -- because you deserve to know!
Watch Crash Course so you can be smarter than the neighbours!
I know that because I watched it on Crash Course!
ok ok i'll let the experts come up with the slogans.
reply
Mark
CHECK SHIRTS, There's a subliminal marketing message, I feel the need to wear a CHECK SHIRT. it will give me the Mr Smooth deep dulcet tone, his voice has. Makeing me more attractive to women and improve my life.
reply
CHECK SHIRTS, There's a subliminal marketing message, I feel the need to wear a CHECK SHIRT. it will give me the Mr Smooth deep dulcet tone, his voice has. Makeing me more attractive to women and improve my life.
reply
Taiqi
1: 04 when he said -today we-re going to un-hack your brain on advertising- and the familiar melody of the theme song ironically appeared, i realized that this was an advertising as well
reply
1: 04 when he said -today we-re going to un-hack your brain on advertising- and the familiar melody of the theme song ironically appeared, i realized that this was an advertising as well
reply
Ian
I must have an abnormal brain. Often when presented with a consensus viewpoint (eg -everyone has an iPhone- or -every family owns a car-) I think to myself, -I have a better solution. -
reply
I must have an abnormal brain. Often when presented with a consensus viewpoint (eg -everyone has an iPhone- or -every family owns a car-) I think to myself, -I have a better solution. -
reply
Sir
tech deck was super popular when i was in middle school. i just had to have one, and i persuaded my grandmother to buy me one. i never use it now
reply
tech deck was super popular when i was in middle school. i just had to have one, and i persuaded my grandmother to buy me one. i never use it now
reply
Fredrik
0: 30 I think I finished the first one but I'm not sure. And you're shocked that there are people living outside of the united states?
reply
0: 30 I think I finished the first one but I'm not sure. And you're shocked that there are people living outside of the united states?
reply
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