II. They Say

Douglas Rushkoff makes several valid points about how corporate America uses their resources to coerce the public into buying their particular product or service. He cleverly used the word 'they' in giving them a collective identity. One must realize that we, as the consumer, are constant being assaulted to buy or use certain brands or services. Whenever a person opens their social media sites, like Facebook or Twitter, they receive information about products and services that are advertising with these Internet sites. Rushkoff gave an excellent warning about repressing the urge to panic because we are being manipulated by advertisers. He states that the more we attempt to suppress the urge to resist we become disconnected from recognizing the power of advertisers. We become vulnerable to them trying to coerce us into purchasing their particular brand.

One has to agree that the internet has opened up so many ways for consumers to compare and shop for the best products. They have taken control of what they demand from the manufacturer and have developed sites that expose those products that fail to meet quality standards. The younger consumers are some of the most savvy when it comes to product performance standards. From cell phones and video games to computers, they push the manufactures to constantly innovate and expand the capacity of their products. As Rushkoff stated, coherers are the hunters and consumers are the prey. In some cases the advertisers are winning, but the younger consumer is more evasive to the hype. It is true that advertisers are becoming more technologically aware, but consumers have to make the effort to stay ahead of their game. Just as Rushkoff explains, the moment we, as the consumer, allow our awareness to slip into a lower level of self-consciousness is the moment that your mind is open for manipulation.