Is advertising morally wrong?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is advertising morally wrong?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, advertising is morally wrong
Argument‹2 of 2: Advertising feeds insecurity

Vanity and materialism are two of the biggest problems in the world. Everyone believes that if they don’t have a certain car, house, or jewelry that they won’t seem successful. Advertising encourages people to look at their neighbors enviously.

The argument

People have a lot of self-esteem issues because they compare their lives to others. Social media is one of the main reasons people have self-esteem issues, because it encourages people to put across an image of perfection and materialism. Whenever an influential person advertises a product they enjoy, others will want to buy it too. Using influential people in advertising is a marketing tactic used to bring the celebrities’ fans to a company’s products. When people see something that everyone has but they know they can’t afford, they feel left out and ostracized. This encourages people to spend money they don't have.

Premises

[P1]People develop self-esteem issues by comparing their lives to the images of perfection and materialism others project. [P2] Advertising exploits this by using influential figures so their fans will want the products too. [P3] When people see something everyone seems to have but they cannot afford, they feel ostracized and are pushed to spend money they don't have. [C] Therefore, because advertising feeds insecurity, advertising is morally wrong.

Counter-arguments

People have their own style. Trends aren’t important. Advertising is catered to individuals who want the product, not huge groups of people.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Materialism isn’t the only cause of insecurity. [Rejecting P3] Not all people follow trends.