Near-False Advertising

You want a new book to read, so you go to the popular shopping website “Amazon” to order a new one. You quickly find an interesting novel, and someone seems to be selling it for only $2. “Never read! Practically new!” exclaims the promotional advertisement. You quickly purchase the novel, and it arrives a few days later. However, to your dismay, all that is in the packaging box are the tattered remains of what vaguely resembles a bound book. Outraged, you call the seller, and ask why the book is torn up, when it was said to be unread and new. To this the seller explains that it is true that she never read it, but she never said that it was new, but that it was practically new, and this meant it was not completely new. You can complain all you would like, but you will not get your money back, because the seller use “weasel words” to trick you. I believe this is a major problem in media, because it takes advantage of people in order to get them to buy a product. Instead, advertisers should use correct facts to lure people in. The previously stated circumstance has happened to me several times before, and each time my emotions range from simply irritated to furious. I
For example, instead of a commercial referring to how much of a “virtually perfect” clean Tide laundry detergent is, it could show videos and time lapses of the clothes’ stains being cleaned off, or state what percentage of bacteria is eliminated during the wash. If these actions were taken, viewers could decide whether to buy a product based on facts and statistics, and companies could still advertise their product in an efficient (albeit less effective) way. The situation would benefit most (if not all) involved parties, and people could learn to be better at making their own