So… One day I was driving towards the gym on an empty stomach contemplating whether or not if I should grab a quick bite before the daily work out. I drive past a billboard with a giant image of McDonald’s famous Big Mac with some writing next to it. This writing, however, was in Spanish, and I don’t speak Spanish! So I assumed it said something good since it was a picture of an innocent, juicy, delicious looking burger which seemed to be smiling at you. I asked myself, how can a burger look this beautiful yet be so unhealthy? Since I gave up fast food years ago, the billboard didn’t have much effect on me. Some fast food fanatics could be hooked the second after glancing at this billboard and made the U-turn to head back towards McDonalds.
Billboards are a very great way of advertising. However, the use of imagery can force people to think uncritically especially since people don’t actually go out of their way to do independent research on what they are viewing from the driver’s seat of their car. So whatever images they see, they relate it to what they think is right, and then draw their own conclusions and judge the ad (or products in the ad) without any truthful background knowledge.
Whenever someone sees a billboard, they are quick to form an assumption. For instance, when you see a billboard with a movie ad with an actress who did poorly in her previous film, you might conclude that whatever movie this ad is advertising must really suck because they invested in some whack actress. But wait! This movie has a different director, producer, and a whole different supporting cast. This can really make a big difference but the ad doesn’t mention it. After the image is processed in the mind, the person viewing it forms stereotypes (e.g. all movies with this actress is whack, corny, or boring).
Another way people can think uncritically is by accepting whatever it is the billboard is advertising to be true or good. Some people believe everything ads have to offer. Someone viewing the billboard with, “The World’s Best Sewing Machine” might believe that the actual sewing machine in the image is actually the best since they have no prior knowledge about sewing machines. They kind of act similar to dogs: whatever food is given to them, that’s what they eat. In this case, whatever image they see, that’s what they embrace and admire.
Some people might engage in lazy thinking when it comes to billboards and some might actually look at it and save their judgments for later until they do some research. Billboards are seen everywhere we go and it’s hard to avoid making eye contact with such huge colorful signs. The makers of the ads usually produce images so that the viewers are forced to think of one thing: that is the message that the companies are trying to deliver. With this motive in mind, no wonder there are so many uncritical thinkers out there.
