Subliminal Messages

A subliminal messages, or subliminal stimuli, is a way of altering a person’s consious perception in order to manipulate this person’s mind. Subliminal messages can be sent through audio stimuli or visual stimuli, and it is a way that many advertisers or artists can get a message through without it actually being seen or heard by the person that is being manipulated. Although many researchers say that subliminal messages are not truly effective in creating any long term ways of thinking, they do create a fleeting effect on consious perception.

You Know You Want To Read This… A Look At Subliminal Messages

For many years, there has been debate over the effectiveness of subliminal stimuli, but it is said that many companies have used visual types of subliminal messages in their marketing campaigns. What these advertisers do is take a normal commercial and insert a word or image that flashes quickly and is not seen by normal vision but instead it is picked up by the consious mind causing a person to think a certain way for an instant. Words like “buy” or phrases like “you need this” would pop up so fast in the commercial that nobody watching it could see, but for a minute their minds would see this word or phrase and it would cause a person to want to buy the product. This thought usually only lasts for a short time, and so this is why the effectiveness of subliminal messages in advertsing is debated.

Another way to send a subliminal message is through audio stimuli. Just like visual stimuli, the effectiveness of audio stimuli was wildly debated by experts and courts alike when certain cases involving subliminal stimuli in songs were brough to court. In the past, it was argued whether certain heavy metal bands were using certain types of subliminal messages to send sinister messages to their fans. Many parents joined together to fight against these supposed messages in heavy metal music because they believed this music was corrupting their children. These parents believed that certain bands were trying to send a message through a form of audio subliminal stimuli called backmasking, in which these bands supposedly sent messages telling their fans to worship satan, commit suicide, or partake in drugs, alcohol and sex.

An example of this type of audio subliminal stimuli is from a lawsuit that was filed by the parents of 2 teenagers who commited suicide in 1985. In the lawsuit the parents claimed that their children killed themselves after listening to a Judas Priest song that coaxed them to “do it”. This suit was thrown out because of the argument that subliminal stimuli does not create a lasting effect, and that these teenagers probably already had the idea to commit suicide long before listening to a heavy metal song. A few years later, parents of another child who committed suicide claimed that it was an Ozzy Osborne song that made their child kill themself, but this case too was thrown out.

Subliminal Messages – The History

Throughout history, the use of subliminal stimuli in movies, commercials, music and almost any form of media has been debated time and time again. Although it is most likely still being used today, it is truly in ineffective way to try to manipulate a person’s mind. The effects of the different types of subliminal messages are short lasting, and cannot work to manipulate long term consious perception, but nonetheless it is interesting to think about.