ADVERTISING AS DIGITAL MYTH-MAKING : CONSTRUCTING ONLINE REALITY

Abstract

The article offers a philosophical and cultural studies analysis of advertising as one of the key mechanisms of digital myth-making. Drawing on the concepts of Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard, advertising is examined as a system of signs that «naturalizes» cultural constructs, transforming commodities into carriers of ideological meanings and symbols of status, identity, and lifestyle. It is shown that within digital culture and social media (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) advertising images immerse the consumer in a hyperreality in which simulacra of happiness, success, and beauty are perceived as the norm. Particular attention is paid to the role of influencers and personalization algorithms, which create “individualized mythologies” for the user. Using the examples of the Apple and Nike brands, the mechanisms for constructing brand myths are analysed, and the phenomenon of Instagram aesthetics is interpreted as a decentralized collective mythology of the «ideal life». The article concludes that advertising myths have an ambivalent impact: they simultaneously motivate and inspire, but also standardize ideas of success and happiness, reinforce consumerist orientations, and blur the boundary between reality and simulated constructs. The need for a critical reading of advertising messages and for the development of media literacy as a tool for demythologizing digital reality is emphasized.