Vance Packard
Also known as Vance Oakley Packard
American journalist and social critic (1914 to 1996) who wrote The Hidden Persuaders.
At a glance
Main ideas
Hidden persuasion, Planned obsolescence, Privacy …
See all 4Books to start with
The Hidden Persuaders, The Status Seekers, The Waste Makers …
See all 5Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Packard was a magazine journalist who became a full-time social critic after The Hidden Persuaders (1957).
- He criticised consumerism, which he saw as an attack on the traditional American way of life.
- His books covered advertising, status, planned obsolescence and privacy.
- The Naked Society (1964) led Congress to set up a subcommittee on invasion of privacy.
Why it matters
- He was among the first popular writers to warn about manipulative advertising, planned obsolescence and threats to privacy from data.
Key facts
- Born
- 22 May 1914, Granville Summit, Pennsylvania1
- Died
- 12 Dec 1996, at Martha's Vineyard Hospital1
- Education
- BA in English, Pennsylvania State University (1936); master's, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (1937)1
- Journalism
- Boston Daily Record from 1937; Associated Press; The American Magazine from 1942 to 1956; then Collier's1
Main ideas
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Hidden persuasion1
Advertisers use motivational research and depth psychology to create desire.
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Planned obsolescence1
The Waste Makers attacked products designed to be replaced.
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Privacy1
The Naked Society warned against advertisers' and government's use of personal data.
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Status seeking1
The Status Seekers described American social stratification.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
Connections
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
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The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.