Inspire your students to think critically about advertising culture
“Sut Jhally reminds us that the siren call of advertising has not been mitigated in the digital age. The consequences for our relationships, our environment, and our society are as potent and dire as ever.”
— MARA EINSTEIN | PROFESSOR, MEDIA STUDIES AT QUEENS COLLEGE | AUTHOR, BLACK OPS ADVERTISING
In Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse, media scholar Sut Jhally argues that we’re not likely to avert the coming climate catastrophe without first confronting the cultural power of the advertising industry.
Ranging from the emergence of the modern advertising industry in the early 20th century to the full-scale commercialization of the culture today, Jhally identifies one consistent message running throughout all of advertising: the idea that corporate brands and consumer goods are the keys to human happiness. He then shows how this powerful narrative, backed by billions of dollars a year and propagated by the best creative minds, has blinded us to the catastrophic environmental costs of ever-accelerating rates of consumption. The result is a powerful intervention in current debates about climate change and environmental collapse – one that places culture and cultural attitudes center stage.
Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse is a powerful teaching tool for courses that look at commercialism, environmental issues, media culture, social well-being, and the growing tensions between capitalism and democracy.
Watch the trailer for Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse:
ORDER ADVERTISING AT THE EDGE OF THE APOCALYPSE
“An extraordinary documentary … should be seen by everyone concerned with environmental degradation and the social issues of inequality and poverty that plague the earth.”
— DR. FRED MAGDOFF | CO-AUTHOR, WHAT EVERY ENVIRONMENTALIST NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT CAPITALISM
And check out a selection of related MEF films:
