Peak Oil, advertising and media

[PowerSwitchJames]

While the American mainstream media is content to speak of "alternative energy sources" on occasion, it fails to provide information on oil depletion or realistic methods of delaying it. Although it is clear that world oil reserves will eventually be depleted, this is rarely mentioned by the media. Most energy-related articles and news features are presented in an environmental or economic context, and usually refer to "hybrid" vehicles, solar panels, ethanol, or wind power. The manufacture of plastic products is a major factor in the consumption of oil, yet the mainstream media rarely even mentions this fact, let alone advise against the purchase of unnecessary plastic-based items. It is also rarely suggested that less oil and oil-based fuels would be used for transportation purposes if unnecessary purchases were curtailed.


It appears that the only explanation for this behavior of the media is that it benefits their advertisers. While advertisers are content to have customers buy fuel-efficient vehicles or solar panels, they wouldn't find it acceptable if a media outlet were to discourage the purchase of disposable digital cameras, for example. Even buying paper cups (which are produced from a renewable resource) rather than disposable plastic cups would help delay the depletion of world oil reserves. However, the media suggesting this would cause people to think about other ways of conserving plastic, which would also be unacceptable for advertisers. A few more examples of the wasteful and unnecessary products being mass-produced at present include disposable flashlights, disposable DVDs, and electronics of poor quality which fail within months.
If a quick depletion of world oil reserves is to be avoided, along with excessive pollution and waste, the media should alert viewers and readers to the negative consequences of purchasing such products. It should also encourage them to save enough money to acquire higher quality reusable products instead. While this may not benefit the economy or their advertisers at present, it would enable the economy to remain stable for a longer period of time before it is severely impacted by a lack of oil-based materials and fuel.

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[skeptik]

The manufacture of plastic products is a major factor in the consumption of oil

Is it? I thought it was only about 2 or 3 %. (off the top of my head) thats 'minor' in my books...

I thought the 'major' uses of oil were transportation, heating and electricity production.

[mikepepler]

The manufacture of plastic products is a major factor in the consumption of oil

Is it? I thought it was only about 2 or 3 %. (off the top of my head) thats 'minor' in my books...

I thought the 'major' uses of oil were transportation, heating and electricity production.

About 5% for chemical use (including plastics) as far as I can tell. It's the one thing that gives me hope for the future - if (and that's a BIG if) we could get our act together and cut out the majority of transport and heating use, we'd have enough in the North Sea to go on making these important chemicals and materials for many decades. Whether that's possible is a discussion which is covered in many other threads...

[isenhand]

If a quick depletion of world oil reserves is to be avoided, along with excessive pollution and waste, the media should alert viewers and readers to the negative consequences of purchasing such products. It should also encourage them to save enough money to acquire higher quality reusable products instead.

Well, now that gets to the heart of the problem doesn?t? It high lights to me that the problem is deep rooted in the system we have. After all, if we didn?t have such a short term, money grabbing sociaty would we be in this pickle?

enough in the North Sea to go on making these important chemicals and materials for many decades.

Ok, showing my lack of chemistry knowledge again. Isn?t it possible to construct plastics out of other sources than oil? Although, it will not doubt be more expensive?

[skeptik]

Ok, showing my lack of chemistry knowledge again. Isn?t it possible to construct plastics out of other sources than oil? Although, it will not doubt be more expensive?

Yes and Yes

[Potemkin Villager]

It appears that the only explanation for this behavior of the media is that it benefits their advertisers.

I think that is only one part, though an important part of the story James.

The media also have a symbiotic relationship with what I will call the "establishment consensus" so will have a self censoring approach to certain core taboo subjects that challenge the status quo too much and PO is one classic example.

Another related and currently very relevant example, which I experienced first hand at the time in 1979, was the obvious fact that the Shah was on his way out in Iran and a major change was underway that did not accord with the outcome the West desired.

Day after day graphic footage of the upheavals in Iran and pieces from front line correspondents stating the obvious were offerd on EVN, the daily Euro Vison News exchange sessions where stories are offered and bartered between different TV news organisations,

The "four wire" conference squalk box circuit typically elicited comments like "doesn't look like there is much in it", "no thanks our editor doesn't want to take that" - i.e. massive collective euro media denial of the unpallatable truth of the unfolding events

Eventually the situation got so, so obvious, ie hostages and the takeover of the US embassy, that it could not any more be denied.

At this points of course everybody was very "surprised" at how fast the unwelcome but real events had "appeared on TV news" to develop!

Exprct exactly the same to happen with PO.

[snow hope]

Very interesting - thanks for that perspective Roger.

[newmac]

When will people realise the underlying cause of why the media don't alk about th underlying cause? Quick post on this so let me know it anything doesn't make sense.

It's been talked about before on this site and the theory explained http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model and the books outlines: Manufacturing Consent - Chomsky and Herman, Guardians of Power - Cromwell and Edwards, and the website given www.medialens.org

In brief, James has higlighted one of the five filters - funding. The others being ownership, sourcing, flak and anti-ideologies (currently anti-anti-capitalism). I think sourcing and flak are extremely important when discussing Peak Oil.

I have personnally added a couple of extra filters (haven't come up with the best names yet) 1) inertia - because the type of corporate news that is published has not changed all that much in terms of the angle taken there is a inertia to how it can be reported. Journalists have to write the same way or else they'd be out. 2) false optimism - our society has managed to isolate indivduals enough that theya are extremely suspicious of everyday human beings. Our innate need to trust and have optimism is projected onto those that are not close to us - corporations, politicians. for example, although most people think he lied to us, few people think that we should classify Tony Blair as a war criminal because "he did it for what he thought were the right reasons". Journalist inhabit the same societies as us and as such have the same reactions to what politicians/corporations say.

[newmac]

Sorry forgot to add....
You know when you discovered Peak Oil and it all came clear. Bit of a bubble bursting? Understanding the Propaganda Model can actually be a bigger bubble to burst but it can be very enlightening and also makes understanding Peak Oil and many other things a lot easier.