- ISBN13: 9780684870564
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Marketing targeted at kids is virtually everywhere — in classrooms and textbooks, on the Internet, even at Girl Scout meetings, slumber parties, and the playground. Product placement and other innovations have introduced more subtle advertising to movies and television. Drawing on her own survey research and unprecedented access to the advertising industry, Juliet B. Schor, New York Times bestselling author of The Overworked American, examines how marketing efforts… More >>
Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture
Judging from the reviews below, I guess I’m in the minority. I found some of her points good, but overall it seemed more advocacy that evidence. (No, I don’t work for the advertising industry.) If you believe Ms. Schor, every conceivable problem with kids or teens can be traced to advertising. Any everything is as bad now as its ever been. If Ms. Shor was alive 50 years ago I’m sure her book would have been about the evils of Elvis Presley. Doesn’t that seem a bit overheated. I can’t possibly recall all the personal problems and social ills supposedly caused by advertising. I’m sure I’ll miss 30 or so but here’s a shot.
Advertising causes in kids:
Obesity
Aneroxia
Bad body image
Depression
Stress
Poor social skills
Anxiety
Alcohol abuse
Illegal drug abuse
Legal drug abuse
Misogyny
Racism
Insensity to others
Xenophobia
Headaches
Poor performance in school
Apathy
Lack of achievement
Delinquency
Rudeness
Memory problems
Poor memory skills
I could go on and on. Gee, maybe some of these things have other causes? As any teenager who has taken Psych 101 would say, “Duh.”
Rating: 2 / 5
I was releived to find this book. I am into literature that encourages me to have a less materialistic view of the world. However those do tend to be a lot more activist oriented. This is not a bad thing, however strong social research has been needed.
Ideally i would have given the book 4.5 stars…
I was releived to find that there was a work out that had strong social research. Like any research, there are gaps that other researchers will hopefully follow up on. I would like to see more work done on the effects of economic class and gender in terms of the pressures of the consumeristic market, just as a few examples.
The sociologist in me would have liked for Schor to have taken even one aspect of the book and go into more detail, however that would probably appeal more to an academic journal than something that would be readable for someone who does not have a strong background in social research, and this particular book was very readable for someone who does not have that kind of background. The academic in me does enjoy the extensive bibliography that she offers.
She does take a complicated problem and discuss various aspects of it. Which is why it has gaps in research, and why it could be deemed as controversial.
From more of an anti corporate activist stance, I would also reccomend: Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn, No Logo by Naomi Klein, Affluenza and Adbusters magazine.
From a christian perspective I would reccomend: Simpler Living, Compassionate Life edited by Michael Schut and The Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster and Sojourners magazine.
I havent read Schor’s other books, The Overspent American and The Overworked American but if they are as well researched they are probably worth your time as well.
Rating: 5 / 5
Simply put . . . if you’re not left in shock within the first 50 pages, you haven’t been reading. Ms. Schor’s account of our nation’s perverse youth-directed advertising, market research and media practices is a profound eye-opener. You will be appalled at what our children are being subjected to – not to mention the hyper-sophisticated marketing strategies & manipulations that take place behind-the-scenes, to ensure our children’s psychological captivity.
The only deficit to Ms. Schor’s work are the, at times, specious and/or factually incorrect claims about macro and micro-level behavior of America’s youth. She can be rather quick to jump to conclusions that serve her arguments’ ends, while glossing-over counterpoints to highly debatable issues. Case-in-point — she cites the youth increase is ADD/ADHD diagnoses as “mounting” “evidence of distress among children”, while completely sidestepping the highly complex etiology behind the increase in those diagnoses.
She also appears to be somewhat out-of-touch with contemporary culture, to the point that she makes statements like (as appears on page 141), “He’s supposed to do his homework, but he has lied and said he doesn’t have any so he can spend his time playing a new Gameboy.” A statement like that reads like someone saying referring to a car as a “motor carriage”; she more likely meant “…playing a new Gameboy game.”, as effectively no child would ever receive a new Gameboy handheld console with enough frequency to refer to their current one as “new”. Perhaps I’m being hypercritical, but, if someone is indicting elements of pop culture, I’d prefer their terminology be accurate.
However, an intelligent reader should be able to sift through the missteps and inconsistencies, as the vast majority of the book’s content & assertions are reputable, well-researched and well-articulated.
This is A TRUE MUST-READ for all parents, as well as anyone concerned about the impact of media and advertising on their own life.
Rating: 4 / 5
I READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE I DOING A RESEARCH FOR A PHD PROGRAM…EXCELENT ANALISIS, SIMPLE BUT VERY IMPORTANT POINT OF VIEW. A REFLEXION FOR US, LIKE SOCIETY, LIKE INDUSTRY, AND LIKE GOVERMENT. WHAT WE ARE DOING TO CONVERT OUR KIDS IN CONSUMERS…THAT’S THE NEW GENERATION: THE POWER OF CHILD NO FOR THEIR VALUES…JUST BECAUSE HOW MUCH MONEY THE COMPANIES CAN
EARN FROM THE KIDS..ANOTHER RECOMENDATION, CONSUMING KIDS, FROM SUSAN LYNN…WE CAN`T IGNORE THIS PROBLEM. IS THE FUTURE OF OUR KIDS.
Rating: 5 / 5
As a new parent this book opened by eyes to a lot of things I would never have recognized as “marketing” and would not have occurred to me how potentially harmful this culture is the psyche of a child. The data gets a little cumbersome at times, and I skimmed over some of the detail so that I didn’t get bogged down in it, but lots of great information along the way.
Rating: 4 / 5