Advertising and Imagery: Century of the Self

     The early 20th Century saw many developments that would shape the world as we know it today; the way war was fought was changed by the onslaught of World War I, the idea of an international community started to gain favor for the first time, countries were moving towards more industrialization and city dwelling as being a norm. One of the greatest onslaughts though, was the advent of the consumer culture. Men like Edward Bernays saw opportunity in creating a culture in which people would constantly want more things, regardless if they needed them. Opportunity was seen if they could get people to be as indulged in peace time, as they were during war. People ate up propaganda during war, so why not do the same thing with them during peace? The question was how though.

     Edward Bernays solved that how, and started having companies make their products less about function, and more about glamour. Making people want something even if they didn't need it, because it would make them feel better. It was this consumerism though, that helped lead to The Great Depression. While Americans were enjoying the prosperity of the 1920s, it eventually became too much, and when the Stock Market Crash of 1929 hit, people stopped buying unnecessary goods once again. As devastating as this was though, it didn't stop the industries, or Edward Bernays for that matter. Eventually, consumerism came again, this time to stay.

     The United States was no longer a nation of citizens, but a nation of consumers; government, and especially businesses looked to sell them things. Not things they needed, but things they wanted. Bernays was largely responsible for this influence. He'd shown marketers how to advertise their products to people in such a way that people no longer were basing their purchasing on needs, but on desire. He transformed America into a country where people's desires were "fulfilled", yet controlled at the same time. The thing is, the consumer would never be fulfilled, because they would always be left with the want for more, and this is what would keep the market going. Manufacturers at first thought that they would run out of products to sell and/or that people would lose interest in continually buying things they didn't need, but they were incorrect. What they didn't realize is that people always want more, and that is something Bernays saw, something he took full advantage of.