1) “Consumed”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOKl04TWVsU
Environmental Economics
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Consumerism is a modern movement that means a stimulation and encouraging people to buy products and services even if it is not necessary.
Commercial massages and advertising are created at a manner that destroy our brains, especially sigh “SALE!!!”, so we buy goods that later we do not use.
The pursuit of prestige, aspiration to get higher social status generate consumerism.
Financial organizations stumulate us to consume more and more, providing with the best credits.
The video has mentioned that extensive consumerism is an actual mental illness. One of the most important points that interested me was the hypothesis that individuals utilize extensive consumerism techniques in order to substitute characteristics that they lack. For example, if one does not have any outstanding characteristics and abilities, such as abilities to play music, sing, paint, do sports, then he/she may substitute them by buying an expensive cell phone, clothes, a car, and so forth. It is being done because it is in our human nature to impress our partners. If one cannot impress a person that he/she is attracted to by the physical appearance or artistic qualities, then he/she may, for example, buy a valuable asset, such as an expensive sports car, and impress the person.
In this video we can see how marketing manipulates consumers to constantly consume goods and services. Sales associates, managers, investors along with many other individuals have the power or ability to make consumers to buy what they don’t need, even if they don’t have the money. According to this film, throughout the years individuals had discover ways to find how human mind thinks and reacts when consuming. As a result, sellers make consumers to think that having the latest technology it’s going to make them popular, attractive and accepted by society (which is all a lie). It’s sad to see how consumers are being driven (specially the Y and Z generations) to think this way. However, as it is stated in the film ” We don’t care about agriculture, health or predators because all of that is already taken care off.” As we already know where we come from, the way we got here, what we are having for dinner or how we are doing our homework, we focus more in the things that we do not know. Nothing is a mystery anymore and that is driving this generation to only focus on consuming not worrying about how much that is costing the environment.
In this video, consumerism is discussed. how it was created, how we use it in today’s world and how it can affect the future. At the 19th minute mark I found learning of Edward Bernays and his use of propaganda in the beginning of the Great War interesting in how it lead to him to creating the idea of “Public Relations,” creating advertisement during a time of peace. Bernays used aspiration marketing, creating the idea that success and personality is shaped by consumerism. This information is followed by a Chevrolet commercial into the 21st minute mark where a young man states that he would surely be popular if he had that car, and that everyone would want to be his friend. This shows how advertising affects an individual’s psychological perception of who they are, making them believe that “above average products can compensate for below average traits.” [Geoffrey Miller]
A second thing that I found interesting was the story of two hippies meeting Che Guevara into the 40th minute mark. The two hippies shook Che Guevara’s hand while apologizing for being Americans in which Che replied that they shouldn’t apologize but instead should be thankful that they live in “the belly of the beast,” saying that they have a greater chance of creating a change since they live in America. The scene is now of a riot between civilians and police officers making a visual connection to being in “the belly of the beast.”
The last thing I found interesting was Alastair McIntosh’s metaphor, passed the 49th minute. “The real hippy thing is about being able to dance, being able to move from your hips, if you like, and i mean that metaphorically.” He continues to explain that what he means is going with the flow of life by turning away from what leads to death and giving into what brings life to the world. He tells that people are convinced that life is only about outward competitiveness and consumption and that we don’t realize that it is all much more important and beautiful than that.