#2: Just Gotta Have It

     It is quite amazing what an alternate reality we truly live in, even though the truth is right in front of our eyes. We live in a time where we are swindled on an every day basis. We walk around through stores, drive by billboards, and watch commercials in between our shows, news, and movies. Even as we surf through the internet and check our emails and social media sites, they are plastered with relentless advertisements. They are strategically placed where we will see them often, and they will best temp our wants or needs. We have become so accustomed to them, we will see them and may acknowledge them but not realize the ramifications we allow them to bring upon us. Their influence is always adapting to our awareness of them. We may realize what their intentions are but but as Rushkoff mentions, the advertisers are constantly evolving their methods to continually coerce us in a new unfamiliar method.

     It opened my eyes more so after reading "They Say." Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say by Douglas Rushkoff. I liked his reference to the consumer as the prey of the predator (the advertisers and those that employ them), and how it makes perfect sense as you read on and learn of their methodology and realize how ingenious it is.  I also like how he mentions that it up to our instincts to adapt and evade, even though the advertisers are always  finding ways to wrangle us up again.

     I find it easier to notice and avoid these techniques in two ways. One, being that I am always strapped for cash, and two, having many years of experience in sales.

     Being raised to penny-pinch due to my family's financial struggle, I learned at a young age you cannot always get what you want. And from there, my family taught me the importance of understanding the difference between wants and needs. I have carried those lessons with me every day and during every purchase. That does not mean I will not make the purchase of wanted merchandise here and there. What it means is that I can be more cautious with my earnings and spend them wisely. I can take a step back and look at what is placed on each and every shelf without having a desire to walk them to the check-out line. I can watch the commercials knowing I do not need the product and can be aware of the intent to entice me. 

     My awareness was further enhanced with quite a few jobs in the sales market. Everything from clothing, electronics, alcohol, food, and vehicles. These jobs taught me to build a bridge with the "guest", make them feel welcome and as if they knew me and could trust every word that escaped my mouth. Then I would used certain key words and trick-of-the-trade to lure them into hearing more and wanting more that they planned, then upping it again to make them think they had to have it. The "upsell" was constantly pushed on us by our supervisors. Suggestive sales were key to more profit. You might come in for a car, but suggesting and convincing someone they needed the luxury package, then extended warranty only puts more money in both the business' and your own pockets. We made them think it was a sale on the lot everyday and they were walking away with a deal all their own. Suggestive sales come in forms as simple as "would you like fries with?" or "would you like to try our new dessert?". If you can convince just one person to take the offer, then it becomes a profitable means of advertisement.

     Rushkoff mentions many of these methods in his documentation, and how they "are the products of years of painstaking research into methods of influencing human behavior." He goes on to tell us how "the coercion works according to plan, we don't even realize it has been used." Until we are made aware, it is a hard truth to grasp. The only way to understand the sophisticated manipulations is to be willing to look or learn about them. I am aware of quite a few gimmicks and ploys, but reading about his research shows me I do not know squat. In order to avoid this science of temptation we have to stop being so predictable and instinctive, and instead resort to being more meticulous consumers that "they" cannot predict.