IELTS Speaking Part 3: Advertising and Consumer Culture

We've been talking about shopping. Let's broaden that out.

How has advertising changed in recent years?

Oh, dramatically! It's become almost invisible.

Invisible? What do you mean by that?

Well, it's no longer just billboards and TV commercials.

Influencers weave products seamlessly into their everyday content.

Half the time, you don't even realise you're being sold to!

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Hmm, I'd say it's ethically murky, at best.

Children in particular struggle to tell ads from entertainment.

That makes them extremely susceptible to manipulation.

Should advertising aimed at children be banned outright?

Um, a total ban might be rather heavy-handed...

but stricter regulation is long overdue.

Some Scandinavian countries already restrict it quite heavily.

Interesting. And has that worked, do you think?

Honestly, I'm not sure the evidence is conclusive.

Kids still watch plenty of foreign content online.

That's a fair and honest answer.

Does advertising fuel excessive consumerism?

Oh, undeniably! That's its whole purpose, isn't it?

It manufactures desires we never knew we had.

Then it sells us the cure for that dissatisfaction.

That's a rather cynical view, isn't it?

Ha, guilty as charged! I've just bought trainers I don't need.

Thank you. That's the end of the test.

Thank you! That was actually rather fun.