Referring to advertising as a type of rhetoric in our society seems to be fairly accurate. Rhetoric usually refers to the idea of being "well-spoken," which is the target goal of advertising. The point of advertising is to be well-spoken on a specific concept or product and therefore, encourage people to buy what is being sold. The rhetoric of advertising simply feeds the device paradigm by weakening focal practices, such as various family traditions.
Borgmann expresses major concern on the topic of advertising because he feels that consumerism and commodities are taking over the lives of people all around the world. I too feel that consumerism and the rhetoric of advertisement are running rampant. Rather than planning a night out with friends or family, people base their lives around television and advertisements that encourage us to "buy, buy , buy!" Although technology can make our lives easier, it does not necessarily make us happier. Humans are social beings by nature; however, a great deal of time is spent in isolation due to technology. For example, even when a family is seated together around the television, they are not necessarily conversing and bonding with one another. The device paradigm continues to grow stronger, but the satisfaction of life for many people is beginning to dwindle.
Emily Linneman
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