Researcher(s)
- Teagan Logue, Visual Communications, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- William Starkey, Art and Design, University of Delaware
Abstract
As social media reigns supreme over our modern day society, the integration of advertising has moved closer and closer into our everyday lives, subliminally affecting the thoughts and choices we make without us even recognizing it. This age of lightning-fast communication allows for many positive improvements to the culture and lives of Americans, however it has also been used as a tool to promote one of America’s favorite ideals: consumerism. Although it might not seem obvious at face value, advertising surrounds us wherever we go, especially since the rise of the internet and social media. To understand the level of the manipulation that is being used in today’s social media advertising, it is helpful to look to the past; even before the age of iPhones and artificial intelligence, one dictator mastered the art of manipulation by using the media as a way to promote pride and culture. By looking at the methods of dictator Benito Mussolini, whose machine found a way to weave fascist ideals into the minds of the Italian people by utilizing the power of everyday media, one can greater understand the impact that subliminal persuasion can have.
The bottom line is social media has become the ultimate tool for manipulation, similar to the ways El Duce used modes such as the mass media, fashion and the arts to influence the thoughts and choices of an entire country. In this modern age we are being subliminally advertised to constantly, so how can we become more aware of when this manipulation is happening? My intent with this project is to give people the moment to think more individually about their media consumption and give them the tools and awareness to be able to feel empowered about their use of social media. By using Mussolini as the historical example, an extremist political machine that many are aware of, audiences can be made aware of what exactly this type of social media advertising is doing to them, and on a larger scale, society as a whole.