I've been thinking about what drives trends, and haven't mentioned TV advertising. I should imagine it's the main instigator of consumerism. By the time a wretched ad has been on dozens of times, driving one mad, it's brainwashed the entire nation and they swarm into the shops, where piles of the commodity are ready and waiting. Even the songs and music of an advert on TV get into one's head, and the brain being what it is, the sight of the product on a supermarket shelf trigger recognition and interest. I find all this slightly sinister actually.
|