Technological representation in advertisements: Restructuring meaning and culture

This thesis examines the socioculturally constructed processes of advertising which, in turn, construct society and culture through the repeated use of cultural resources in advertisements. A twofold approach serves in the inquiry of advertising processes: understanding (1) how advertisements are created and (2) how their cultural messages and representations are perceived. Investigations of technological representations in advertisements and their perception by viewers are used as a vehicle in understanding the meaning-making processes of advertising practice. Three types of technological products are the focus of investigation: PDAs (personal digital assistants), refrigerators, and motorcycles. In the process of developing advertisements, existing cultural models are used extensively in creating new meanings for products in order to establish these products in culture. When advertisements are circulated in society and consumed by viewers, their representations of cultural models and meanings contribute to the reproduction of cultural reality and society at large. Advertising, consequently, not only mirrors culture, but also reshapes it.; In the research, two types of participants are used: creative people as the developers and consumers as the viewers of advertisements. The focus on creative people and the development processes of advertisements serves in understanding how creative people mediate technological products to a larger audience. Assigned to the categories of specific technological products mentioned above, creative people are asked to develop advertisement themes for the products of their own category. Investigations of creative thinking processes and practices reveal that creative people depend heavily on culture for communicating messages in advertisements. On the other hand, the focus on consumers and the perception of advertisements enables an understanding of the place of advertisements in culture. The data on the participants' perceptions of specific advertisements reveal that the messages of and the representations and meanings in advertisements serve as social psychological tools. These tools help humans in making sense of their sociocultural environment and accordingly guide them in their social conduct. The repeated use of cultural models and meanings in sociocultural contexts contribute to the reproduction of society and culture.; The meanings technological products are invested in advertisements are an important part of everyday life and reality. Through the lens of constructivism as a meta-theory, this research discusses advertising's role in the representations and perceptions of technology and its relation to sociocultural reality. This thesis confirms the widely shared belief in social sciences that humans use technological products as social and psychological tools in their interactions with others and in their overall social conduct. Under the light of constructivism, the research also establishes a constructivist perspective towards cognition, design and advertising creativity that is inclusive of society, culture and individual.