Critical Commentary

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The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception - A chapter from Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment on the mass-production of culture.
Eradicating the Stain - What's the difference between advertising and graffiti?
How does wealth influence the mass media? - "The main business of the media is to sell audiences to advertisers." Presentation of Chomsky's "Propaganda model" of mass media.
The Media and Communication Studies Site - Advertising section forms part of "the definitive site for British media studies."
Stay Free! - Non-profit magazine examining commercialism and American culture.
Subliminal Advertising - Numerous examples and commentary on a range of subliminal adverts. Analysis is based on the work of Wilson Key.
Toward a critical theory of advertising - An analysis of advertising within a critical theory of society which combines historical, sociological, cultural, and political analysis.
Return of the hidden persuaders - part three - Salon Media series looking at the latest gurus on Madison Avenue - semioticians, anthropologists and ego psychologists. (September 29, 1999)
Return of the hidden persuaders - part two - Salon Media series looking at the latest gurus on Madison Avenue - semioticians, anthropologists and ego psychologists. (September 28, 1999)
Return of the hidden persuaders - part one - Salon Media series looking at the latest gurus on Madison Avenue - semioticians, anthropologists and ego psychologists. (September 27, 1999)
Up in smoke - The billboard-liberation movement gathers to celebrate 20 years of ad "improvement." From Salon. (May 3, 1999)
How powerful is advertising? - A review of Breaking Up America, by Joseph Turow. From the Atlantic Monthly. (June 1, 1997)
And now, a turd from our sponsors - The First Annual Counter-Clio Awards honor the worst that advertising has to offer. From Salon magazine. (May 1, 1997)
The Hidden Persuader - Looking back at Vance Packard's contribution in educating people about social impact of advertising. Article from Salon. (December 17, 1996)