The Penn Perspective: Subliminal messaging manipulates humans subconsciously
What if ads you see on TV, on your phone, and in your email inbox were covertly manipulating your subconscious into wanting their product?
Well, they are.
Subliminal messages are images or messaging that are undetectable to the conscious mind but are recognized unconsciously. Because people are unaware of these messages when they occur, they can be unnervingly influential.
Kind of creepy, right?
Major companies such as SFX Magazine, Coca-Cola, and Tostitos have all allegedly used subliminal messaging in their advertisements and products, despite the ethical implications of influencing consumers’ minds without their knowledge.
In a society controlled by media and the internet, subliminal marketing can have a huge influence on the American economy and market.
The first thing to understand about subliminal messages is how they work. Sure, you can transmit an idea to the consumer’s brain subconsciously, but what do you transmit?
One would think companies would transmit basic messages such as “buy our product!” or “you need this item!” but the reality is far more disturbing.
We’ve all heard the phrase “sex sells,” but subliminal messaging takes this idea to a whole new level.
Structured around the idea that all humans have a primal desire for sex, media ranging from Disney movies to soda commercials have all utilized this message as a subliminal marketing strategy.
One can easily find stills from The Lion King, highlighting the word “sex” spelled out vaguely in the clouds or even a hazy image of a woman’s backside in a bikini hidden in the face of the lion on the poster for the movie.
However, after doing some research, I determined that this instance of subliminal messaging did not, in fact, appear to be valid.
Although many social media users had called out Disney for their alleged manipulation, many of the common accusations were refuted in a Huffington Post article, when a Disney animator commented on various instances of supposed subliminal messaging, and explained away pretty much all of them.
However, this brush with subliminal messages led me to further examine the evidence of this phenomenon in American society.
One of the biggest perpetrators of subliminal advertising is Coca-Cola. The company has been accused on multiple occasions of utilizing subliminal or hidden messages in various advertisements.
One depiction of a cold, bubbly glass of coke allegedly masks outlines of the two naked female figures; another advertisement consisted of a cartoon-styled glass bottle of the soda, with the tagline “Feel the curves,” and an image hidden in an ice cube of a woman performing a sexual act.
While it is impossible to prove the intent behind these alleged images, they do pose a concern of the possibility of consumers being manipulated by subtle images that are reaching the subconscious.
Hidden or flashed images aren’t the only way companies are manipulating our minds though.
Currently, one of the biggest perpetrators of subconscious manipulation is phones.
Let’s admit it, we all get that little excited burst when we hear our text tone go off, or receive an instagram notification.
That jumpy feeling you get has a name. It’s called dopamine.
Dopamine is one of the brain chemicals controlling your reward and pleasure centers. It’s a neurotransmitter that motivates you to get things, such as food.
Dopamine is also the same chemical responsible for addiction, because as helpful as it is, it can also be pretty dangerous. That’s where phones come in.
By associating a particular noise or vibration with incoming notifications, phones actually trick the reward center in your brain into thinking it’s time to give you a hit of dopamine.
Phone can literally control your life. Think about that one.
“But no,” you say, “I’m not addicted to my phone, I just use it a lot.”
Hmm, sounds like something an addict would say. The proof lies in the sky high numbers of people texting and driving and going on their phones for hours and hours on end.
Phone companies have gotten so good at this form of manipulation that they aren’t just subliminally controlling your purchases, but your whole life.
But wait. Subliminal messaging doesn’t stop with advertisements and phones. No, it controls every aspect of your life.
Social media such as Instagram will actually pay people who have a high enough number of followers to post regular pictures that portray a certain lifestyle, or subtly advertise a company or product.
Many of these users have feeds that display an ideal lifestyle, with high quality images of meticulously arranged food, gorgeous landscapes, and a wide array of bikini pictures, gym shots, and expensive skin care products.
Because so many of these paid users falsely portray a “perfect” life, many young people and teens develop an unrealistic idea of what their life should be like. These unrealistic expectations have been proven to lead to a rise in teenage depression and anxiety.
So, next time you’re watching a commercial or hear a buzz and suddenly have an urge to check your phone, take a minute to think about it. Maybe it’s your mind deceiving you.
Well, they are.
Subliminal messages are images or messaging that are undetectable to the conscious mind but are recognized unconsciously. Because people are unaware of these messages when they occur, they can be unnervingly influential.
Kind of creepy, right?
Major companies such as SFX Magazine, Coca-Cola, and Tostitos have all allegedly used subliminal messaging in their advertisements and products, despite the ethical implications of influencing consumers’ minds without their knowledge.
In a society controlled by media and the internet, subliminal marketing can have a huge influence on the American economy and market.
The first thing to understand about subliminal messages is how they work. Sure, you can transmit an idea to the consumer’s brain subconsciously, but what do you transmit?
One would think companies would transmit basic messages such as “buy our product!” or “you need this item!” but the reality is far more disturbing.
We’ve all heard the phrase “sex sells,” but subliminal messaging takes this idea to a whole new level.
Structured around the idea that all humans have a primal desire for sex, media ranging from Disney movies to soda commercials have all utilized this message as a subliminal marketing strategy.
One can easily find stills from The Lion King, highlighting the word “sex” spelled out vaguely in the clouds or even a hazy image of a woman’s backside in a bikini hidden in the face of the lion on the poster for the movie.
However, after doing some research, I determined that this instance of subliminal messaging did not, in fact, appear to be valid.
Although many social media users had called out Disney for their alleged manipulation, many of the common accusations were refuted in a Huffington Post article, when a Disney animator commented on various instances of supposed subliminal messaging, and explained away pretty much all of them.
However, this brush with subliminal messages led me to further examine the evidence of this phenomenon in American society.
One of the biggest perpetrators of subliminal advertising is Coca-Cola. The company has been accused on multiple occasions of utilizing subliminal or hidden messages in various advertisements.
One depiction of a cold, bubbly glass of coke allegedly masks outlines of the two naked female figures; another advertisement consisted of a cartoon-styled glass bottle of the soda, with the tagline “Feel the curves,” and an image hidden in an ice cube of a woman performing a sexual act.
While it is impossible to prove the intent behind these alleged images, they do pose a concern of the possibility of consumers being manipulated by subtle images that are reaching the subconscious.
Hidden or flashed images aren’t the only way companies are manipulating our minds though.
Currently, one of the biggest perpetrators of subconscious manipulation is phones.
Let’s admit it, we all get that little excited burst when we hear our text tone go off, or receive an instagram notification.
That jumpy feeling you get has a name. It’s called dopamine.
Dopamine is one of the brain chemicals controlling your reward and pleasure centers. It’s a neurotransmitter that motivates you to get things, such as food.
Dopamine is also the same chemical responsible for addiction, because as helpful as it is, it can also be pretty dangerous. That’s where phones come in.
By associating a particular noise or vibration with incoming notifications, phones actually trick the reward center in your brain into thinking it’s time to give you a hit of dopamine.
Phone can literally control your life. Think about that one.
“But no,” you say, “I’m not addicted to my phone, I just use it a lot.”
Hmm, sounds like something an addict would say. The proof lies in the sky high numbers of people texting and driving and going on their phones for hours and hours on end.
Phone companies have gotten so good at this form of manipulation that they aren’t just subliminally controlling your purchases, but your whole life.
But wait. Subliminal messaging doesn’t stop with advertisements and phones. No, it controls every aspect of your life.
Social media such as Instagram will actually pay people who have a high enough number of followers to post regular pictures that portray a certain lifestyle, or subtly advertise a company or product.
Many of these users have feeds that display an ideal lifestyle, with high quality images of meticulously arranged food, gorgeous landscapes, and a wide array of bikini pictures, gym shots, and expensive skin care products.
Because so many of these paid users falsely portray a “perfect” life, many young people and teens develop an unrealistic idea of what their life should be like. These unrealistic expectations have been proven to lead to a rise in teenage depression and anxiety.
So, next time you’re watching a commercial or hear a buzz and suddenly have an urge to check your phone, take a minute to think about it. Maybe it’s your mind deceiving you.