The Effects of the Hypodermic Needle Theory on an Impressionable Young Female
The Hypodermic Needle Theory has been around since the 1920’s and is one if the earliest ways of analyzing how audiences are effected by mass media. The theory originally used World War I propaganda, where researchers observed its effect on the masses. Although a funny thought, the theory suggests that media messages are directly injected into our brains, and that all audiences will react to media messages similarly. The Hypodermic Needle Theory isn’t widely accepted today, but can still be used to analyze the effects of advertisements on the masses.
An Impressionable Young Female
As a 26 year old young adult who has their made way through an undergrad degree, works professionally, and is now embarking on a masters degree, I like to think I am less impressionable than most. Although I am served with thousands of marketing messages a day, I am truly only influenced by products I am interested in trying. For example, if I am going to purchase a new pair of shoes it will be because I like the look and price of them, not because I think they will make me a good person or make me “popular.”
When I was younger, middle school and high school aged, I was absolutely influenced by media. Who wasn’t? At this point in my life, I was being served advertisements on television, which present more opportunity for brands to sway consumer’s opinions in 30-sec clips over a photo ad on Instagram. I had less access to social media, and I’ve pretty certain Facebook ads weren’t a thing yet (or at least hadn’t picked up in popularity). Anytime a “new, cool” trend/product was presented to me, I was 100% the type of person that NEEDED to have it — sorry mom and dad, your wallets definitely suffered.
Example 1: Red Bull
We all know the slogan, “Red Bull Gives You Wings.” The cartoon TV ad was played constantly. Beyond a simple TV ad, Red Bull would slap their logo on helmets, bikes, snowboards, and even helicopters, and have their athletes perform crazy stunts. Not only was I being served the message that the product would “give me wings,” but then I was seeing athletes perform unimaginable stunts, and I was convinced the product help them do it. To be fair, at this point in my life I was unaware that Red Bull was simply an energy drink filled with sugar, caffeine, and chemicals, and was even less aware of how unhealthy the product was for your body. Nonetheless, if I was ever in a place that I needed to perform — skate park, tennis match, you name it — I had a Red Bull beforehand, because I was convinced it would help my performance.
Example 2: Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is a clothing store that sells items targeted towards teens and young adults. Since the height of their popularity in the mid-2000’s, they have been scrutinized for their marketing tactics and lack of inclusivity. During my middle school and high school years, though, this brand was worn by the “it” crowd, meaning I had to wear it too (obviously). Their marketing tactic was centered around only displaying “stereotypically attractive” models, meaning predominantly white and extremely thin. They even had their models visit the stores and meet customers. At the time, they exemplified the “cool” crowd that everyone wanted to be part of — including me.
Example 3: Apple iPhone
Apple is known for throwing money into ad campaigns and producing high quality marketing content. Without verbalizing it, Apple gave viewers the idea that owning an iPhone is superior than owning any other phone. For example, their commercial for the iPhone 6 highlights the bigger size of the phone and even goes as far as to say, “it will change the way you view the world.” That’s a pretty bold statement to be making about a cell phone. Oh yeah, and the commercial is voiced over by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon — an elite duo. To this day, I am still a cult iPhone user, but my first iPhone was purchased because I genuinely thought that by owning it, I was elite — I could do anything and even view the world through a different lens. It’s insane how advertisements can have such an intense emotional effect on audiences, beyond just swaying them to purchase a product.
So although I may be less impressionable now, and attempt to own products I truly love (with minimal outside influence), there is zero doubt that I was an impressionable young person that simply wanted to fit in. As TV commercials decline, though, it will be interesting to see what the next generation is influenced by within mass media.