Most American's are familiar with the term "Black Friday" as the name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day, and a day that is associated with both positive and negative connotations. On a positive end, many people look forward to Black Friday as an opportunity to get good deals to save on holiday gifts and other various items. However, Black Friday is also sort of an example of consumerism-gone-crazy; people wake up early in the morning (or do not sleep at all), camp out on sidewalks outside of store, and run in large mobs into stores to grab the things they want to buy before others do. People risk injury, health, and ignore the wants and needs of others in order to get the things they desire to purchase.
The question is: why do people go so crazy for Black Friday? I believe that a large part of the reason people are motivated to participate in Black Friday events are media and advertisements for Black Friday sales. More broadly, the media in general promotes materialistisc ideals. It seems that people who shop on Black Friday come from a variety of social and economic backgrounds and that all people are motivated by the fact that they will save money by buying things on that specific day of the year. I believe that if media in our culture (tabloids, television shows, movies, and even books) did not glamourize things such as having expensive and luxurious things, including homes, electronics, and clothing, than Black Friday would not be considered such a noteworthy event. Furthermore, if it were not for the media, I do not feel that shopping and materialistic ideas would be such a prominent part of our culture.
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