Scholarly Milestones Essay

Abstract

The author, a central figure in the development of critical studies of advertising and consumer culture, discusses his intellectual influences and the issues raised by his work. He begins with his preacademic life, followed by a review of the genesis of his thinking about advertising and consumer culture as well as some key debates that emerged around his early book, Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture. The essay also addresses shifts in his thinking about media and in his creative work. The author argues for more attention to the issue of media literacy.