Conference Agenda
The Online Program of events for the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting appears below. This program is subject to change. The final program will be published in early November.
Use the "Filter by Track or Type of Session" or "Filter by Session Topic" dropdown to limit results by type. Some of the sessions are also color-coded: purple indicates performances, grey indicates paper forums, and orange indicates sessions which have been organized by one of the regional associations of IMS (ARLAC or IMSEA). (Sessions which are both IMS sessions and performances are only colored orange.)
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Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 1st Sept 2026, 02:57:59am EDT
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Daily Overview |
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Activism, Advertising, and Promotion in Social Media Session Chair: Barbara Dietlinger, University of North Texas Discussant: Paula Harper | |
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Painstakingly Complicit: The Sound of “Happy Eating” in Vertically Oriented Video Advertisements for Ultra-Processed Foods Arizona State University Video advertisements for ultra-processed foods (UPF) rely heavily on sound and music in crafting a compelling multisensory environment that sells a “happy eating” impression, and normalizes the habitual intake of unhealthy foods, even as they continue to draw criticism for their negative health and environmental impacts. In recent years, driven by the unparalleled mass appeal that platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts command, vertically oriented video content has exploded. These “verticals” are produced at high frequency and scale, often with shorter durations and much greater volume than traditional horizontal formats. In the context of UPF brands, the considerations including taboos involved in producing traditional horizontal ads and vertical ads differ significantly, which in turn directly influences the role of music and sound in these commercials. This paper focuses on recent video advertisements that promote UPF products targeting the U.S. market, particularly those in vertical formats. Building on prior scholarship on music, advertising, and consumer culture, particularly Timothy Taylor’s analyses of how music operates as a tool of branding, as well as audiovisual theories developed by Michel Chion, I will first present the market context of UPF advertising and the advancement of “happy eating” often associated with UPF brands. Thereafter, I propose an analytical framework centered on temporal compression, hyper-association, and sonic consistency to examine the use of sound and music in vertical ads. Finally, through two case studies of products by the prominent UPF brands Nongshim and Lay’s, I argue that the emerging sonic conventions of vertically oriented UPF commercials signal the formation of a new audiovisual logic where sound and music act as powerful accomplices in the ideological labor of constructing the “happy eating” illusion, even more direct and potent than in traditional horizontal ads. As the volume of vertical UPF ads continues to grow, so too will the development of systematic strategies reflecting “industry standards” in content production be optimized for the vertical screen, designed to sell, normalize, and aestheticize products linked to unsustainable food systems. | |