Problem:
Advertising is one of the main storytellers in our culture. One central story it tells is that happiness is the result of consumption. In this clip, communications scholar Sut Jhally explains how we often ask the wrong questions about advertising when we focus on individual effects. Instead, he argues that we need to understand advertising's collective impact on our culture.
Think of an ad you have seen recently. How does it reflect a cultural value?
What impact do you think that advertising has on our culture as a whole?