Capitalism and socialism are ideological perspectives that have been employed by countries to regulate economic resources. Under capitalism, private individuals own means of production and the market is free, while under socialism the government controls production and distribution. This essay explores how capitalism and socialism approach advertisement. Capitalism uses advertisement to influence consumer attitudes and lifestyle choices in order to accumulate wealth for private interests. Socialism argues that advertisement should aim to satisfy needs rather than manipulate consumers for profit or self-gratification. The role of advertisement is debated between those who see it as a tool for private gain under capitalism versus those who believe it should promote social cooperation under socialism.

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
Capitalism and Socialism
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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
Capitalism and Socialism
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Capitalism and socialism are ideological perspectives that have been employed in
countries to regulate their means of production or manage their economic resources. Capitalism
is an economic system where means of production are own individually or privately. Capitalism
maintains that the success of the market depend on free market economy. In socialism, the
government determines all legal production and distribution process. The government makes all
decision rather than being free market and it determines the mount of output or supply as well as
the pricing level of these good. Contrary to the capitalist economy where the government plays a
minimal role of deciding the production process and is purely based on the law of demand and
supply, in socialism, all aspect of the economy which are controlled by the government are
planned and executed by the government itself (Thangavelu, 2019). It is called a centralized
planning and the advocates argue that shared ownership of resources allows for equal
distributing of goods and services and thus affair society. Advertisement is a way of promotion
in public media, services, production or events. It is aim to attract interest from the public. The
spirit of free market legitimize in capitalism ideology to use means of advertisement to
accumulate wealth. Since it is free economy, advertisement is meant to fulfill individual self-
fulfillment. This essay aims at exploring how socialism and capitalism contribute to the notion of
advertisement.
Capitalism is governed by an ethnic of self-fulfillment and achievement and has great
impact on institutions that manage affairs of economy by transforming to promote consumer as a

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
new identity. Advertisement goes beyond just selling product or services, the ad can inform,
amuse or warn. The main aims in advertisement is to influence peoples’ or consumers’ attitude
and lifestyle choices. The relationship between capitalism and advertisement is so close that it
can be conceptualized as capitalism realism. This is because despite not being controlled by the
government, it is given approval and legal statue in business and supported by the rest of the
society. Advertisement links the buyer to the seller based on the symbols used to promote it.
Eventually, the intention is to influence the whole society to buy from a particular product or
service thus corrupting our buying habits.
Advertisement is the central ideology of capitalism in modern economy. The capitalist
seller inform their buyers through adverts that their product were more worth than others in the
market, thus they tend to make buyers believe that they can certify all the needs of the
consumers. It is undeniable that consumers need product but advert goes beyond the premises of
selling a product to promoting a particular brand with aim of winning attitude and makes
consumer feel good when they identify with these particular good thus the advert become
capitalist technique. The power of advertisement makes the buyer feel that they can become
attractive with thee product however, these commodities promote falsehood. Eventually, they
archives the sellers’ intent. Capitalist advertiser knows that there is a psychological anxiety that
springs from the buyers when particular products are taken into the market. Capitalist have found
a way of exploiting the unconscious desires of consumers inners most feelings through coming
up with products that offers solution to buyers repressed desires. The products consumed by the
public is supposed to make buyers engaged in their irrational emotion, however, manipulation of
the consumers is necessary for capitalism to overcome the consumers’ desires (Harris, 2018).
The forces of individualistic as portrayed by the capitalist is coined in the idea of consumerism.

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
The products in the modern economy does not represents the usefulness of the product, instead,
it is used to represents an identity of a particular brand or unique by a turning into an emotional
need. This signifies that the novelty of advertisement is meant for consumption, it instead it is for
social manipulation by creating a false problem which can only be solved by purchasing that
particular product (Segger, 2015).
A socialist economy features public rather than private ownership of means of
production. Thus the article argue that the socialist economist is need satisfaction rather than
accumulation of wealth. As championed by the political discourse, socialism maintains that
capitalist undermines democracy and exploit the public, has unfairly distribution of resources
thus vitiates community stunning self-realization and development (Bulton, 2020). Thus,
socialism adverts works to provides means of transcending capitalist flows and replace capitalist
features with socialist alternatives. Socialist argues that extensive reliance of advertisement
should be compatible the values of the socialist. Base on the socialist ideology, the consumer is
not supposed to be forced through advert to buy their commodity, instead, the buyer should just
make a decision to buy an item whiteout being manipulated. Thus, the government take a central
position in solving the problem rather than a private individuals whose aims is to accumulate
wealth for themselves. This is because people have a shared responsibility to each other.
Advertisement in the eyes of the socialist, is a social is competition for market, they discourage it
and instead, encourage social cooperation. When producing products, the government should
thrive to make an egalitarian society and having commitment for social equality. The price
should be regulated by government. The cultural roles played by the advertisement in the process
of integrating flow of information among peoples lies in its relevance, however, to socialist, the

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
rise of advertisement should be aim at social good thus they discourage capitalist notion of
advertisement in regard to personal or private gaining of wealth.
The role of advertisement in the public sphere is worth attention in the contemporary
market. However, the subject can be viewed in the ideologies using the capitalist and socialism.
While capitalist maintains that since it is a free economy, there is freedom of advertisement for
personal accumulation of wealth, socialist argues that the government should be in charge of the
means of production and thus adverts should aim to promote satisfaction rather than self-
gratification or private ownership.
Annotated Bibliography
Segger, Rhianne. (2015). Advertising as a central Form of Ideology in Capitalist Society.
Linked.com. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/advertising-central-form-
ideology-capitalist-society-why-segger
According to the article, advertisement has become a central aspect in economy and is
projected as a capitalist technique of manipulating the masses for self-gratification. It is the idea
that capitalist through their advertisement can satisfy the public needs that masses are attracted to
these commodity. In the long run, the intention is not production of good to satisfy the needs of
the people, rather it is for gaining or changing the attitude of the masses for private advantage or
having a favorable competition. The article is a good source because it draws from wider sources
or literatures to support its arguments thus contributing to the research by laying the foundation
that support the intent of the research thesis. “The novelty of advertising is no longer about
watching someone consume a product, but rather it's about "social manipulation by creating a
false problem that could only be resolved by purchase"

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
Harris, Jerry. Chinas Road from Socialism to Global Capitalism. Third World Quarterly.
Article uses the situation of China and United States to explain how the contemporary
capitalism and Socialism ideology are displayed. The paper explains how the slogans and
manipulative languages are used by the elites or adverts for self-gratification or transformation.
The paper is a credible source, not only because it uses relevant sources to emphasize its
argument but also uses reverent examples in the contemporary economies to explain the notion
of capitalism and socialisms. “Just as they seem to be occupied with revolutionizing themselves
and things, creating something that did not exist before”
Bulton, Matt. (2020). Democratic Socialism and the Concept of Post Capitalism. The Political
Quarterly. P.5.
The article explains that democratic socialism is a system of economy that is planned and
places the social needs above profit. It is revenant to the research because it applies the socialism
and capitalist perspective in explaining the contemporary market structure. Thus add to the
literature of that research. Capitalism that focuses exclusively on the market and private
property. “Through advertisement, capitalist thrive to control what is produced and how is sold”
Thangavelu, Poonkulali. (2019). capitalist vs. Socialist Economies: What’s the Deference.
Invesstopdia.com. retrieved from: https; https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-
finance/082415/pros-and-cons-capitalist-vs-socialist-economies.asp
The source argues that the government plays a minimal role in deciding factors related to
means of production. While in socialist economy, important issues of economy are not decided
by the private or individuals, instead, it is decided by the government. The article is relevant in
the understanding how capitalist and socialist ideologies works thus creating a framework of

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Running Head: CAPITALISM & SOCIALIM
understanding how the issue of advertisement are applied by the pro-capitalist and pro-socialist
economist. “Capitalism and socialism are economic systems used by the state for development”