John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Episode 4 (1972)
John Berger believes that publicity will change our lives by proposing to us in a consumer society to buy something more that will materialistically make us somewhat richer, even though we will be poorer.
He identifies the relationship between oil painting and colour photography as similar in terms that colour photography is the oil painting of today. However, oil painting was used to portray the individual consumer’s lifestyle and wealth, whereas colour photography is used for publicity, to attract consumers into buying a lifestyle they cannot afford.
In the episode, Berger touches on publicity working on our anxieties about money and plays on the fear of not being desirable or being inadequate.
John Berger identifies 3 dreams that publicity offers us. Those dreams are that our lives and relationships will be radiant because of our new possessions and that it will help on our anxieties about money. It promotes the idea that a mans ability to consume is directly related to his sexual virility. He also mentioned rules of the dream which is those who lack power and glamour become faceless, almost non-existent.
