Ads have now become a less aggressive version of propaganda. The reason for this is the relationship that developed between Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays. In the film titled The Century of the Self, we learn how Bernays took ideas from his uncle's philosophy and invented the profession of public relations in the early 1920s. His nephew would travel to different companies in America and their showed how they could manipulate people into wanting their products. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. This manipulation would create a need for the item being marketed. It's not that a person necessarily needs their product, but now they would want it so much that they would feel like it was a need. This was achieved by connecting the world's mass-produced goods to people's unconscious desires and creating this effect of need over simple, innocent desire. Bernays would use every possible trick in the book to exploit people's feelings about products. These tricks included, but were not limited to, the following: celebrity endorsements, PR stunts, and even assigning cars to specific genders. After watching this film, I was completely appalled at how these little thirty-second commercials playing on my television play a role in controlling our society. We currently live in a world where we feed on advertising. Companies and individuals use advertising to target the most basic psychological demands, which plays into a person's denial of certain needs. Personally, every day of my life I am exposed to companies that try to persuade me to buy their items by connecting their products to my emotions and how they know it will make me feel. For example, when I saw an ad for detergent, they had that brand of detergent next to cute, soft puppies, little kids, sunshine, and fluffy blankets. Seeing all of these items together represents positivity and reassurance that will cause a trigger in me in which I will surely purchase the product the next time I go to the store. However, that's only because I want my blankets to be as soft as the ones those adorable puppies were sleeping on. This is exactly what Bernays said: “You don't just buy something; that's how much better you'll feel once you buy it. “Advertising continues to dominate our world and in today's society the things we want are so accessible that we don't even need to think before making the purchase, but we don't realize this which could be affected around us. Let's talk, for example, about the famous fast-food restaurant Chick-Fil-A. Their famous cows are known to hold up signs saying “Eat Mor Chikin,” but where do these chickens come from? Are these chickens full of antibiotics? How many are killed every day just to provide enough supplies for their restaurants? What about the workers, do we know if they receive a fair wage or if they are treated properly by their management? Oh but I don't have to worry, if I download the Chick-Fil-A app on my phone I get a free eight point chicken nugget and that's when I don't I will think more about all my previous questions. I won't worry about it anymore because I get my food for free. This is exactly what Bernays said: “Information determines behavior. “This is where the world, and inAmerica, particularly, has taken a turn for the worse in the way we treat each other. Companies continually blind us, preying on our emotions. They know that because most Americans can't make ends meet, they will repeatedly visit an establishment offering promotions, great deals, or free food. When times are tough, buying a free meal seems like the best option for your family, but we don't realize how we even got that product in the first place. Since we don't care where this product comes from, we're pulling out our credit cards to make it happen before the promotion ends. Corporations achieve their goal of human manipulation and control our thoughts every day through these deals that trick our minds. The very concept of advertising scares me. This is because I don't like having my mind controlled by someone else and not being fully aware of it. It's happening right in front of me, but I didn't see it. One of the greatest examples of this manipulation in our society occurs every year on the first Sunday in February. On this day, we gather with all our friends and family to eat and watch the biggest football game of the year. The Super Bowl. What goes unnoticed is that we don't just watch the two best teams in the NFL face off, major companies spend millions of dollars to give us a 30-60 second commercial explaining why their product is the best for us. We all know that Super Bowl commercials are the most anticipated because of their usual comedic value, so we all pay attention to them so that we can talk about them the next day at work or school. Big companies are brilliant because millions of people watch, millions of people respond, and millions of people buy. This helps prove Bernays' theory that this psychological manipulation causes all consumers to have an instinctive drive to do just that: consume. The thirst created in us to have what we do not have, but which we now feel we need, is exceptional. It's hard to know when you make a purchase what exactly you're getting into. Let's say someone is considering taking dietary supplements such as: nutritional pills, protein powders, energy bars, or herbal extracts. These items are not required to receive approval from the USFood and Drug Administration in order to provide their product to their customers. Therefore, a person might consume the protein powder just because they liked the way the advertisement presented the product, but the fine print stating that it is not FDA approved goes unnoticed. This means that a company is allowed to put whatever they want into their product and sell it without having that stamp of approval. This is a great example of marketing controlling consumers. By appealing to something like weight loss through the purchase of dietary supplements, big companies know that people will ignore the side effects of the product. Showing a faster way to lose weight appeals to the majority of people's emotions. This emotional connection is why people are attracted to the product presented during that short period of time that interrupted their favorite television show. Advertising and propaganda are very powerful media tools. Both use similar multimedia formats in order to spread their message and attract new followers or gain additional support from?