📺 A sharp, unsettling exposé on modern consumerism. Buy Now! The ShoppingConspiracy is a documentary that pulls back the curtain on the marketing techniques that lure us into cycles of spending and their ecological consequences. It’s a fitting subject for us to meditate on as we confront our excesses — and credit card bills — after Black Friday.

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Queue the whistleblowers. In the documentary we see former executives from large corporations like Amazon, Unilever, and Adidas provide insider information about the manipulative strategies that fuel overconsumption. For example, Maren Costa, an ex-Amazon designer, explained how the smallest details are scientifically engineered to maximize consumer engagement — including the color of the “click to buy” button. It seems like purchasing decisions aren’t as autonomous as we thought they were…

The environmental impact is highlighted. The documentary connects the dots between the corporate strategies and the environmental fallout they cause. We see the Ghanaian beach that’s become buried in discarded fast fashion and the cities that are now overwhelmed with junk — giving the viewer a sense of the urgency behind the film’s appeal.

WHERE TO WATCH: You can watch the documentary on Netflix or catch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:15).

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