The Cult of the Amateur – Media and The Consumer
Does the media create a cult of the amateur? It would seem that the media insists that the consumer know as little as possible about the products that they are selling. The media is supposed to inform and educate the general public yet they seem to control how much and what people know at all times.
If the media really properly informed the consumer and allowed him/her to buy products from an informed perspective, we would all become informed consumers. This would mean that the consumer would only buy products that she needs and wants. But this doesn’t occur at all. Instead, we are all manipulated to buy certain products because the advertisers want us to.
Thus, the media wants to keep us ignorant of certain things so that we could be ‘good’ consumers that buy their products. The media tries to convince us that we have needs that we don’t necessarily have. The media seems to pounce on our most vulnerable feelings. For instance, they try to convince us that we are fat, wrinkly, unhappy, imbalanced, and so on, without a particular product. And their product will assuage all of our difficulties and vulnerabilities if only we buy them without questioning or inquiring further.
Only a moment’s reflection will show you that the media is not out to help you as it is to make money. The media’s goals are, therefore, at odds with your goals as a consumer. And, if your goals are really to be an informed consumer, the media will try and thwart them and win unfortunately unless you become aware of what is happening.
Thus, whether intentionally or not, the media has created a cult of the amateur. Consumers must remain amateurs in order to follow the media’s manipulative tactics. And those are very difficult to determine because they are constantly changing.
How can consumers resist becoming a part of the cult of the amateur? Here are a few tips that consumers can follow:
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Consumers must become aware of the media’s purposes.
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Consumers must educate themselves about products and determine whether or not they really need them.
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Consumers must become an informed and reflective consumer and not let the media to dictate their needs.
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Consumers must not allow the media to confuse them as to what their true needs and intentions are. This could be a receipt for the amateur consumer.
So, it is important that you know what your needs are and that you don’t let the media dictate which products you should or should not buy. Don’t be an amateur consumer but an informed and educated one.
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