The Unforeseen Truth
Snake oils, medicines that have claimed to cure almost all of our problems, have existed for hundreds of years. The origin of snake oils dates back to the 1800s in China. It was a traditional Chinese medicine that used the actual oils from a water snake to relieve joint pains. Western culture changed the truth of snake oils and now it is seen as quackery. Many western snake oils do not exist anymore since a majority of them contain ingredients that would kill you rather than help you. However, some do still exist today and the language used on products and ads are more formal than it was during the 18th-19th centuries. Besides the language, the actual ingredients of products have changed and contain fewer poisonous substances. We now have laws and requirements of specific information that must be on a product or advertisement.
After investigating the culture of snake oils, various factors such as language and design develop over time. The use of language and design is important to target an audience. We go through phases of trends in our culture and society we live in, therefore it is never consistent. The laws and requirements are what keeps it consistent which then puts a standard to how consumers in our society should trust something. Consistency is key to grab consumers, but eventually certain trends die off and new ones appear. The idea of the unexpected is what keeps consumers interested but not too lost from what something originally is. I want to vere away from what is expected or considered the standard to how things must be seen. Consumers are more aware and cautious, but in the end it is all about the truth. By focusing on the unexpected, it will lead to the truth in a more interesting or memorable way.
Snake oils, medicines that have claimed to cure almost all of our problems, have existed for hundreds of years. The origin of snake oils dates back to the 1800s in China. It was a traditional Chinese medicine that used the actual oils from a water snake to relieve joint pains. Western culture changed the truth of snake oils and now it is seen as quackery. Many western snake oils do not exist anymore since a majority of them contain ingredients that would kill you rather than help you. However, some do still exist today and the language used on products and ads are more formal than it was during the 18th-19th centuries. Besides the language, the actual ingredients of products have changed and contain fewer poisonous substances. We now have laws and requirements of specific information that must be on a product or advertisement.
After investigating the culture of snake oils, various factors such as language and design develop over time. The use of language and design is important to target an audience. We go through phases of trends in our culture and society we live in, therefore it is never consistent. The laws and requirements are what keeps it consistent which then puts a standard to how consumers in our society should trust something. Consistency is key to grab consumers, but eventually certain trends die off and new ones appear. The idea of the unexpected is what keeps consumers interested but not too lost from what something originally is. I want to vere away from what is expected or considered the standard to how things must be seen. Consumers are more aware and cautious, but in the end it is all about the truth. By focusing on the unexpected, it will lead to the truth in a more interesting or memorable way.
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