Selling the Stars, Role of Advertisement in Shaping Space Commerce & Consumer Culture in The Space Merchants (1952)

Abstract

Advertising has been historically one of the most powerful tools for shaping consumer behaviour and desires. In the mid-20th century, media such as television, women’s magazines, and cinema appeared as central forces in marketing communication. This study explains that how the products and ideas were presented to the consumers through these advertising tools. In The Space Merchants (1952) by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth, advertising plays a central role in consumer society. This study explores a future where companies and advertising agencies are dominated not just in the society but also in space exploration. This study explores the representation of convincing advertising campaigns and their impact on the individuals, s lives.  This study describes that how advertising companies through their tricky opinions lead towards the colonization of Venus.it also critiques the commodification of human desires and the loss of individual agency, and suggests the dangers of unrestricted corporate power and the social consequences of a hyper-commercialized society. Advertising transforms needs into artificial wants, surrounding itself into our daily lives and pushing the boundaries of consumerism, ultimately redefining how we perceive value, identity and success. This study not only highlights the social and psychological manipulation within consumer culture but also calls for awareness and resistance against the manipulative tendencies.