#2  Are You Persuaded

 

            I just finished reading Coercion: Why we listen to what ‘They’ say, by Douglas Rushkoff. In this, Rushkoff’s writes about Coercion, and how we are constantly being persuaded and influenced in our everyday decisions. From the cloths we wear to the brand of soda we drink, there’s some type of marketing strategy trying to control how and what we buy as well as what we like.

            Rushkoff is telling us that there are hidden persuasions everywhere; we just need to be more aware and learn to recognize these tactics. Take a super market for example, the first thing you see (or smell) is the deli. ‘They’ hope the fresh produce will put you in to shopping mode. Then ‘They’ take the everyday shopping items like eggs, milk, and bread and spread them throughout the store, hoping that it will increase the chance you will buy other items as you walk through the store. When you do make it to the checkout line, you find it surrounded by impulse items.

 Rushkoff also talks about the internet and public media, and how he believed this new media would bring an end to the age of manipulation. I think the internet is a double edged sword. On one hand, it gives us tremendous power. It allows us to research, do price comparison, post our own videos, and share our own ideals with the world. On the other hand, marketers have adapted their tactics and found ways to persuade and control us through the internet. From pop-up to spam to advertisements and tracking cookies, not only can ‘They’ get to us through the internet, they can track our purchases so they can better target us.

            I really liked how the story changed at the end. How Rushkoff, throughout most of his story was telling the reader of how effective marketing strategies are and warning us about media control, only to find out that he was using the very same persuasion tactics on the reader. He showed how easily you can become a victim of persuasion and not even recognize it. I think he was very effective at getting his point across. I really enjoyed this article and would recommend it to someone else.