Reflection:
This week I have collected data from two chapters in two books. These sources are helpful for expanding my analysis to demonstrate how marketing techniques have been expanded into other non economic spheres (medical and education) in order to maximize profit in these industries.
I have had some trouble finding digital marketing techniques explicitly discussing neoliberalism. I plan to continue digging for this literature next week. However, I think I will have enough evidence regardless because the connections between neoliberalism and digital marketing techniques are still apparent although not directly explained.
Annotated Bibliography:
Mol, Annemarie. “Customer or Patient?” In The Logic of Care: Health and the Problem of Patient Choice, 14-28. New York, NY: Routledge, 2008.
This is the book that we read some excerpts from in class. I plan on using Chapter 2 in order to discuss target groups that advertising constructs in order to make the marketing process more effective and efficient.
O’Neil, Cathy. “Propaganda Machine: Online Advertising.” In Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, 68-83. New York, NY: Crown, 2016.
This book demonstrates the dangers in the modern world of the constant tracking of consumer data in a variety of different spheres of life. I plan on using Chapter 4 which specifically discusses online advertising techniques. In addition to discussing the predatory methods in general, they specifically explain the catastrophic consequences of the for profit college targeted marketing campaigns towards poor people looking for upward mobility, which serve to further impoverish this already disenfranchised group.
Comments:
Thanks for your reflection, Lauren. Your second source looks very relevant to your project. And I liked that you are paying attention to how marketing techniques travel across spheres in society ( I think Wendy Brown can help you frame this point).
Also, when you do your library research about digital marketing techniques, do not use only “neoliberalism” as a key word. Try to break neoliberalism into different components. Maybe efficiency? optimization? flexibility?