In this eye-opening episode of Know-It-All, CCBC student Khadijah Kaffo investigates how modern advertising evolved from traditional propaganda to algorithm-driven persuasion systems that shape our consumption, emotions and beliefs — without us even noticing. From the iconic “A diamond is forever” campaign to TikTok’s addictive scroll, this episode explores how advertising quietly manipulates our desires and reshapes reality. Is what we want really what we want?
About the Host:
Khadijah Kaffo is a General Studies major at the Community College of Baltimore County and plans to transfer into a Public Health program. With a growing interest in social health and media literacy, she uses this episode to explore how manipulative advertising and unregulated messaging impact public health and personal decision-making.
Sources Featured in This Episode:
Friedman, U. (2015, February 13). “How an Ad Campaign Invented the Diamond Engagement Ring.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/how-an-ad-campaign-invented-the-diamond-engagement-ring/385376/
Lule, J. (2023). Understanding Media and Culture in the 2020s: An Introduction to Mass Communication (3rd ed.). FlatWorld.
Music Credit:
Intro and outro music: “Soul Groove” by Josh Woodward. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. www.joshwoodward.com