When we think of newspapers and modern media, we typically imagine them as instruments of democratic expression, forums for public discourse, or sources of unbiased information. However, if we look deeper—through the lens of evolutionary anthropology, particularly theories of behavioral ecology and signaling—we uncover an underlying truth: media, including newspapers, emerged primarily as sophisticated tools for advertising and marketing. This seemingly modern practice is, in fact, a deeply human strategy rooted in our biological past.
The Evolutionary Roots of Advertising
Advertising isn’t merely a contemporary creation birthed by capitalism. Rather, it represents a modern manifestation of innate behaviors that humans—and indeed many animals—have practiced for millennia. From the extravagant plumage of the peacock to the elaborate nests built by bowerbirds, advertising or signaling one’s quality, resources, and attractiveness has always been crucial for survival and reproduction.
According to behavioral ecology, animals engage in behaviors designed to enhance their attractiveness to potential mates or establish their status within social hierarchies. These behaviors are energetically costly but yield significant reproductive or survival advantages. Similarly, humans evolved to develop sophisticated forms of communication to signal their suitability as mates, allies, or trading partners.
This evolutionary concept, known as “show-off theory” or costly signaling theory, argues that individuals demonstrate their value through conspicuous displays of resources or skills that are difficult to fake. For example, a hunter who consistently brings large game back to the community is signaling his reliability, resourcefulness, and physical prowess—traits desirable in mate selection and social alliances (Smith & Bliege Bird, 2000).
Signaling in Early Human Societies
Long before printed newspapers or digital media, early human communities engaged in various signaling strategies through storytelling, art, and ritual displays. Cave paintings, body ornaments, and communal rituals served dual purposes: communicating essential survival information and advertising individual fitness and social value. These practices enabled group cohesion, established hierarchies, and facilitated mate selection.
One well-documented example comes from the traditional societies of the Pacific Northwest Coast, particularly the Kwakwaka’wakw and other indigenous groups, who engaged in the “potlatch.” This ceremony involved lavish gift-giving and extravagant feasting, functioning as an ostentatious display of wealth and generosity, thus enhancing social standing and mating prospects. Such ceremonies are classic examples of costly signaling—demonstrating one’s ability to acquire resources and willingness to share them generously (Boone, 1998).
From Potlatches to Printing Presses
The emergence of the printing press in the 15th century represented a revolutionary step in the evolution of signaling and marketing. Newspapers, initially, were not simply instruments for sharing news; they were deeply entwined with the mercantile economies of early-modern Europe. Merchants quickly recognized that printed advertisements were powerful tools for reaching a large audience, amplifying their signals far beyond immediate geographic confines.
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette in the 18th century exemplifies early American media’s integration with advertising. Franklin used advertisements as a primary revenue source, showcasing various goods, services, and even slave auctions. This commercial underpinning was not incidental; it was foundational to the newspaper’s existence and survival (Copeland, 2006).
The industrial revolution further expanded newspapers’ reach, coinciding with broader social shifts toward urbanization, literacy, and mass consumption. Newspapers grew rapidly not because the public solely demanded information but because businesses required effective channels to signal product quality, availability, and brand identity.
Advertising as Behavioral Ecology
Modern marketing strategies directly mirror behavioral ecology’s predictions about signaling. Advertisers consistently aim to present their products as superior through costly, elaborate, or creative campaigns. For example, luxury brands engage in “conspicuous consumption” marketing—displaying expensive and unnecessary luxury items explicitly to signal wealth, status, and exclusivity.
Take Rolex as a prime example: the brand’s advertisements seldom discuss the practical functions of their watches, focusing instead on prestige, heritage, craftsmanship, and exclusivity—characteristics that resonate deeply with the human desire to signal social status (Veblen, 1899).
In biological terms, luxury products act like the peacock’s tail—costly to produce, conspicuously visible, and clearly signaling fitness, resources, and desirability. Humans, like other animals, inherently respond to these signals, instinctively associating advertised products with social status and attractiveness.
Media, Marketing, and Mate Selection
The linkage between advertising, media, and mate selection becomes clear when examining popular media content. Television shows, movies, magazines, and social media influencers regularly highlight wealth, attractiveness, and resource availability—traits central to human mating preferences. The media’s portrayal of desirable lifestyles or physical ideals becomes a form of cultural signaling, informing what attributes are socially valuable and thus, desirable.
A fascinating parallel emerges when considering modern online dating profiles as advertisements. Individuals actively market themselves, highlighting desirable traits—education, status, wealth, appearance—and minimizing less desirable characteristics. Like traditional advertisements, these personal profiles reflect strategic signaling behaviors evolved to attract mates (Buss, 2019).
Costly Signaling in Modern Media
In contemporary media, costly signaling also manifests through authenticity, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns. Companies that spend heavily on charitable giving or environmental initiatives signal their abundance of resources and ethical standards. Patagonia, for instance, frequently advertises its sustainability initiatives, thereby positioning itself as socially responsible and trustworthy—attributes highly valued by modern consumers.
This is not merely altruistic behavior; it’s strategic, evolutionary-informed signaling aimed at building brand loyalty and consumer trust. Humans evolved to appreciate costly signals as reliable indicators of quality or trustworthiness precisely because these signals cannot easily be falsified without incurring significant cost.
Conclusion: An Evolutionary Continuity
Media and advertising, at their core, reflect fundamental evolutionary behaviors. Newspapers, initially commercial vehicles, evolved to mass communication platforms integral to human societies. The deep roots of advertising lie in the innate human practice of signaling—communicating social status, attractiveness, resourcefulness, and reliability.
Today’s advertising and media landscape simply extend and amplify ancient human practices. Recognizing media and marketing as evolutionary strategies rather than purely economic phenomena helps us understand why advertising persists as an essential feature of human societies. Far from mere modern phenomena, newspapers and advertisements are enduring expressions of deeply ingrained behavioral ecology.
Thus, whether examining elaborate tribal rituals, printed newspapers, or digital marketing campaigns, we witness the timeless continuity of human nature—forever signaling, forever advertising, forever seeking to connect, persuade, and attract.
References:
- Boone, J. L. (1998). The evolution of magnanimity: when is it better to give than to receive? Human Nature, 9(1), 1-21.
- Buss, D. M. (2019). Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind. Routledge.
- Copeland, D. (2006). The Idea of a Free Press: The Enlightenment and Its Unruly Legacy. Northwestern University Press.
- Smith, E. A., & Bliege Bird, R. L. (2000). Turtle hunting and tombstone opening: public generosity as costly signaling. Evolution and Human Behavior, 21(4), 245-261.
- Veblen, T. (1899). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. Macmillan.
