In a groundbreaking experiment, the US-based Molson Coors Beverage Company has successfully manipulated the dreams of test subjects to dream about their beer. The experiment aimed to prove that it is possible to place advertisements in human dreams. The company showed 18 people a 90-second video of flowing water, a cool and clear mountain lake, and Coors beer just before they fell asleep. Special audio clips were played in the background while they slept. Five of the participants reported dreaming about Coors beer after waking up from the REM sleep phase. The experiment was accompanied by a series of online advertising campaigns, promising customers discounted beer prices if they repeated the dream experiment at home.
While the experiment may seem like a PR stunt, it confirms the results of previous dream manipulation attempts. Modern technology can accurately detect the dream phases of humans, and it is possible to intervene in dreams during the phases when people are particularly susceptible to external stimuli. However, the experiment has raised concerns among dream researchers and ethicists, who see it as a dangerous precedent. Critics fear a future where corporations or groups manipulate people’s dreams, and they are calling for a ban on technologies that can influence people’s dreams.
Deidre Barrett, a dream researcher who advised Coors on the experiment, has faced sharp criticism from her colleagues. Renowned dream researchers have warned that the experiment is on thin ice. They argue that the problem is not the 18 people who participated in the Coors experiment but the millions of people who are offered free beer in exchange for logging into the Coors website and playing themselves or a friend three videos and eight hours of audio while they sleep. They fear that this dream incubation could influence alcohol consumption without informed consent.
The experiment has sparked a debate about the ethics of dream manipulation and the potential consequences of such technology. While Deidre Barrett defends the experiment, critics warn of a future where capitalism has no scruples about manipulating people’s dreams for higher profits. The experiment may have been successful, but it has raised serious concerns about the future of advertising and the manipulation of human dreams.
