Are Informational Campaigns Prosocial or Antisocial?

According to Media now, "Information campaigns use the techniques of advertising in an attempt to convince people to adopt prosocial behaviors." (Davenport et. al. p 427) Although their goal is to promote prosocial behaviors experiments have actually witnessed their goals ending in the opposite effect. I can remember when i was in elementary school we had to take part in a very common program that was called D.A.R.E. which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This program would come to our school and present presentations showing us the effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. I remember I always loved getting the free t-shirts they gave out. However, this program unfortunately has been experimented on and seems to encourage children to do just the opposite of what they are being discouraged from. Informing children about the risk of drugs has actually made some children think that if they did them they would be more socially acceptable, when of course this is not what the program D.A.R.E. is trying to encourage. Anti-Smoking ads sponsored by the tobacco company have also had a negative effect when they found that their ads were increasing teen smokers. I think a lot of these programs have great intentions but they can't do it all on their own. Personally, I think it depends on the way your parents raise thier children. I was blessed to grow up in a family that did not smoke and it was not allowed in our house. So when programs like D.A.R.E. came to my school I listened to them and took them seriously especially when they showed pictures such as black lungs from second hand smoking. None of these pictures appealed to me so I knew right away I would never try any of this. Whereas, some of my other friends who grew up in homes where there parents took part in alcohol and tobacco usage didn't take it so seriously. I think it has a lot to do with the upbringing of the children and how their parents are influencing them for whether or not programs like D.A.R.E. will have a long term effect. If the parents start teaching their children at a young age that these kind of activites are not okay we will have a better future for our children. I DARE you to become more aware of the things you put in your body!

Sources:
Media Now: Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology. 6th edition By Straubharr, LaRose and Davenport