"Any advertising campaign is social engineering. You want people to buy your stuff? You have to make a change in society, even if it is a small one."
I have a quibble with that. I would agree that most modern advertising involves some degree of social engineering, but it is not an absolutely required aspect of advertising.
Simply advertising, "I have this for sale," is not social engineering; nor, I think, is, "I have this more cheaply than so-and-so," and maybe not even, "Mine's better made."
OTOH, any advertising that attempts to create a market where there wasn't one, or expand demand for something (such as television commercials designed to make people way more self-conscious about body odor in order to sell more deodorant) is clearly social engineering. Likewise attempts to attach "coolness" to a product or brand. And I'll give you "most" on those grounds.
"I did not put 'it's an unavoidable/necessary aspect of having a society at all' because that does not speak to evil. That is, while I agree with that part of the choice, that doesn't mean it isn't sometimes evil."
Perhaps I should have either added another answer or found a better way to phrase that one. "Necessary" implies -- or at least suggests -- that the tool is not inherently evil, though yes, it leaves open the possibility that it can be misused, as most tools can. I myself personally feel that it is inevitable, necessary, and is sometimes used for evil as well as for good. A couple of days after posting the poll, I'm wishing I'd written it slightly differently to make that a clearer option.
" It depends on three [...] The outcome. This was not one of the available choices, thus requiring this comment."
Okay, that one I probably would not have come up with to add on my own, and thank you for pointing it out. (In the unlikely event that I ever try a poll like this again for a different audience, I'll add that option.)
"The word 'evil' is being used in several different ways here."
A valid complaint of ambiguity on my part. (In my defense, I wanted gut reactions more than a quiz at the end of a long essay... But yeah, "evil" is ambiguous.)
"I don't like the choices, it depends on who does it or whether I agree with them."
I didn't expect anyone who didn't pick those to like them. ;-) Actually, the reason for the "depends on who does it" option was to see whether anyone would list "the government" as either an acceptable or unacceptable group.
(no subject)
I have a quibble with that. I would agree that most modern advertising involves some degree of social engineering, but it is not an absolutely required aspect of advertising.
Simply advertising, "I have this for sale," is not social engineering; nor, I think, is, "I have this more cheaply than so-and-so," and maybe not even, "Mine's better made."
OTOH, any advertising that attempts to create a market where there wasn't one, or expand demand for something (such as television commercials designed to make people way more self-conscious about body odor in order to sell more deodorant) is clearly social engineering. Likewise attempts to attach "coolness" to a product or brand. And I'll give you "most" on those grounds.
"I did not put 'it's an unavoidable/necessary aspect of having a society at all' because that does not speak to evil. That is, while I agree with that part of the choice, that doesn't mean it isn't sometimes evil."
Perhaps I should have either added another answer or found a better way to phrase that one. "Necessary" implies -- or at least suggests -- that the tool is not inherently evil, though yes, it leaves open the possibility that it can be misused, as most tools can. I myself personally feel that it is inevitable, necessary, and is sometimes used for evil as well as for good. A couple of days after posting the poll, I'm wishing I'd written it slightly differently to make that a clearer option.
" It depends on three [...] The outcome. This was not one of the available choices, thus requiring this comment."
Okay, that one I probably would not have come up with to add on my own, and thank you for pointing it out. (In the unlikely event that I ever try a poll like this again for a different audience, I'll add that option.)
"The word 'evil' is being used in several different ways here."
A valid complaint of ambiguity on my part. (In my defense, I wanted gut reactions more than a quiz at the end of a long essay... But yeah, "evil" is ambiguous.)
"I don't like the choices, it depends on who does it or whether I agree with them."
I didn't expect anyone who didn't pick those to like them. ;-) Actually, the reason for the "depends on who does it" option was to see whether anyone would list "the government" as either an acceptable or unacceptable group.