By Carolanne Wright
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
“Is the purpose of the TV ad to make you an informed consumer?” asks Noam Chomsky. “The purpose of the ad is to delude and deceive you with imagery so you’ll be uninformed and make an irrational choice.”
In October of 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a warning, advising that children under the age of two should not be exposed to television because it can lead to developmental disorders, delayed speech and sleep problems. Similar concerns have been raised regarding tablet use. Despite that, Media Watch founder Ann Simonton found that advertisers “start targeting children at 9 months. They’ve noted that, by two years old, they can achieve brand loyalty and recognition.” This is especially concerning when we take into account subliminal messaging is unregulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not only in advertising, but television and film as well. The Internet has recently come under scrutiny too. We are basically being brainwashed as babies and it continues throughout our lives.
