Consumers and Citizens

            As I walked through my neighborhood at the University of Nevada I observed the ads all about. Two different types of ads were noticeable. One being the kind that invite me to be a consumer and spend my money on things that really aren't necessary and one that tries to get me to be a better citizen by student participation. We are engulfed in a world of consumerism.

            The ads I see around campus are for the commercial companies that have been brought to campus. I'll focus on Starbucks in this case. The symbol of the mermaid thing on the cup is so embedded in our brains. We immediately know what it stands for and what it means. Is this good or bad? While having brand identification is good in some ways because it create easy ways to identify a product by consumer desire, it has it down side as well. It is as if the brand and the company have got us on a leash to pour money into a giant corporation that will most likely never do anything for us but provide that product.     

            There are other signs on compass that encourage citizenship and involvement. There are banners on how the university is a top tier research university. These are trying to get us to evoke a feeling of pride for our university. If care for our school more, do well, and graduate. We will spread good word of the school and give it a good reputation. From this more students will attend the school to create a larger learning institution increasing the quality of education and the quality of citizens that will emerge from that institution.

            The thing is I can pass all these ads by when I am on campus because of who I am on campus. I am a student who is engulfed in my own work. I don't have time for the consumer ads to suck me in..