Individuality

Whether we like it or not viral marketing is arguably the most prevalent type of marketing in our society in today’s day and age. That is due to two factors, the increased centrality of technology in our lives as well as the increased emphasis put on the behavior and actions of celebrities in our society. Technology has allowed viral marketing to really take hold by providing a medium for companies to advertise their products in a manner that is free and has a wide-ranging impact. Technology has also allowed for celebrities to play a large part in this. Celebrities often have large followings on social media and as such they are logical targets for companies trying to reach customers on social media. Companies can pay these celebrities to advertise their products to their large followings. I think that viral advertising can be a large problem in our society as it degrades the importance of individuality. Individuality is an important aspect within every society. Viral marketing erodes individuality because when someone, say a famous athlete like LeBron James, promotes a certain product then the millions of children who idolize him will buy said product and you end up with millions of children with the same shoes. While it is impossible to cut out viral marketing, it is important to stress the importance of individuality to our children so they realize that they are good enough even though they aren’t always exactly like their idols or even other children.