It is commonly known in today’s online prone society what an ad is. Advertisements are something that people witness everyday whether you’re on the internet or driving past a billboard sign. These ads act as a “helpful tool” for quick access to something that may seem desirable, but at the same time can easily fool a person into viewing what they want them to perceive. These types of ads can be associated with the term predatory ads which is discussed in depth by O’Neil. Predatory ads target people in a vulnerable state of mind in hopes to swallow up their money. With that being said, many colleges become a component to this particular weapons of math destruction by promising the lower class a better life through their education. These college ads focus on numerous personal factors such as if they are immigrants, low-income, single parent, or even if they have low self-esteem. They specifically target these groups in hopes of a student having to take out a big loan for their tuition. O’Neil discussed some of the for-profit colleges that are involved with this such as the University of Phoenix, Corinthian College, Vatterott College, and ITT Technical Institute. All of these colleges use the internet as a way to figure out a person’s so called “pain point” that gave them enough information to lure the person in through an emotional appeal. On that same note, getting a diploma from many for-profit colleges end up being somewhat worthless or the same value as a high school degree. This creates a never-ending cycle of debt and jobless people within the lower-class, through the misleading information from these colleges. With that being said, many adults are lured into a marketing strategy that is drawn towards vulnerability and sales pitches. Essentially we are pieces to a game that big companies are manipulating, so where does that put children? Well, many children today can be used as a tool for marketing. This can be seen through instances of children selling things such as cookie dough or candles to help fundraise for their school. These big companies are using children to essentially sell their product or as you could say, do the work for them. The problem with this is how children grow up not realizing how they are being used. This problematic issue becomes even greater as children grow up, graduate from high school and dump their money into say, a for-profit college that can’t even grant them the life they went to school for. At the end of the day, it is important that adults become aware of this and take action as it is our job to help guide children, and give them necessary information to prevent them from becoming scammed later on in life.
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