Consumer Children

Consumer culture theory is the study of consumption choices and behaviors from a social and cultural point of view, as opposed to an economic or psychological one. Children are consumed by choices and behaviors around society. Advertisements use so many things to grab children’s attention. Children have no idea the amount of influence they have on their parent's purchases, and yet they fuel consumer society. According to the video, children are marketed in extraordinary ways through brand licensing, product placement, viral marketing, schools, DVDs, video games, the internet, cell phones. Also with social so universal every second a teenager is on the web they are bombarded with over thousands of commercial messages every day. Marketers take advantage of the powerful emotional attachment children have to their favorite characters, leveraging the stability and continuity and sense of belonging they get from these characters to make money.

Corporations target the weakest of the links, children, because they know they are so vulnerable into wanting things and so easy to brainwash. If the commercial shows a person running super fast with certain shoes, the children are going to want them. I remember being younger and watching TV and see commercials for things like Barbie’s or light up shoes. They would have attention grabbing things like lights and other kids that looked as if they were super cool to have them. TV commercials also use celebrities to grab attention. Overall, children are being affect by all of the marketing. Today's children is being shown foul language, strong violence, sex and drug use at very low immature ages. If something doesn't change the generation growing up today will be in trouble and their morality will be lost.