You may have seen “The Story of Stuff” by now — if you haven’t, it’s worth your time to check out. It’s an anti-consumerism video narrated by a woman named Annie Leonard. It’s been a huge viral sensation — it logged over 100,000 views in the week after its release.
The video is well done — it shows how a single voice and some simple graphics can tackle a very complex topic. I definitely have quibbles with the content of the video, but I admire it as a thoughtful, artful example of communication. And let’s just take a second to reflect on this rather unlikely success story, shall we?
This is a viral sensation that:
- Is 20 MINUTES LONG (I am not exaggerating)
- Has nothing lurid, sexy, embarrassing, disgusting, or funny in it
- Tackles big, macro, complex issues like production, distribution, consumption, etc.
- Will largely make you feel bad about yourself and your fellow humans
- Requires you to confront your own behavior through the lens of sustainability
This is indeed a Christmas gift to the world of ideas, and it’s a reminder to all of us that the right idea, communicated in the right way, can make a big difference.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for the support you’ve given our book this year!
-dan & chip
I would disagree–pretty heartily in fact. YouTube has a 10 minute video limit, her video is 20 minutes long. Instead of splitting it rather logically into two parts, she split it into 7. Now, if I want to watch her video I have to click 7 different links–she’s basically giving me 7 different opportunities to get up and leave. How is that sticky?
And really, it doesn’t have 100,000 views. If one person watched the entire thing, that’s 7 right there. So instead of being able to give the impression that she had a viral hit, she diluted the impact over different parts.
I agree that the content embraces the MTS principles, but really, she botched this thing from start to finish. Wouldn’t a truly savvy person have put together an abbreviated clip so you could watch it in one sitting? As they say, the medium is the message and she poorly executed the medium.
It’s broken up on You Tube into chapters. But the whole 20 minute film is available uninterrupted and at a much higher quality at www.storyofstuff.com.
As a matter of disclosure, I helped Annie with the film, but I just wanted to share that fact. She also provides sources for all her facts in the annotated script on the site and there’s lots of info on groups working on all aspects of the problem.
Hope that’s not too spammy. Thanks for such a good post. Great site.
It’s a great video and I’ve encouraged people to buy the DVD, or download the video, and show it to groups of friends, at organizations they belong to, etc.
The Story of Stuff is awesome. What a way to share how crazy our current society is living and destroying the planet. For those of you youtube junkies…..try the good old fashiopned www. If you go to the website = www.storyofstuff.com = the whole 20 minute video is there in perfect fashion. Instead of finding problems with the video, why don’t you try and implement solutions into your own life to address the problems brought up in the video. Everyone of us in the planet (especially those in the US) should WAKE UP and begin thinking about these touchy subjects, and how to leverage them into new ways of living for future generations and economies.
This reminds me of ‘the Story of Money’ (or something similar) that I watched on Youtube recently, relating the history of monetary debt, inflation, etc.
Listen, a million people can watch this video and nod in agreement with its philosophy; but getting anyone to actually change their lifestyle is next to impossible.
I must admit, this video really opened my eyes this morning and made me question my own beliefs and they way we all consume and dispose of things. I think that this will have an initial impact and can only be helped by people spreading the word about the www.storyofstuff.com, displaying it on websites and even their own blogs. I intend to display it on all my media. Will it change the world? Probably not. As Annie mentions, we need to make a start somewhere.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this video is only going viral in the political left realm. That’s fine, but you won’t make a difference preaching to the choir. It neatly packages green ideals but it feels too abstract. Graphs and statistics can be taken out of context, and not citing sources kills credibility.
And seriously, what was she thinking with temporarily using a tank to represent the US government? She needs to stay on message.
I saw the video and must admit that I was glued to the screen to the end. Not because any of the information contained in it was news to me. Any well informed individual is aware of the down sides of the “infinite growth” economic paradigm. Instead, I was glued to it because the presentation was so compelling that I just had to see it to the end.
And there, I believe, is the point of Dan’s post. Rather you agree with her points or not, The Story of Stuff is one sticky little film. After thinking about it, I realized that the style has everything to do with it. By going with a black-&-white, child-like, animated style she was able to present complex concepts in a non-aggressive, humorous way, thus diffusing the harsh reality aspect of the content that could otherwise turn off a large segment of her viewership. Brilliant “sticky” work in my opinion. Well thought out, well executed.
Bought the book and have to say — like most business books (IMHO) — it’s just awful. 90% of the content could be covered in an appendix and the rest is anecdote and filler. When will we start to see peer-reviewed articles testing these kind of ideas? Please more science and less case studies and stories — sticky as they may (seem to) be!
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of it really. Perhaps I was too distracted by the whole What Would Jesus Buy production. It’s the more popular anti-consumerism video going around, isn’t it? It’s supposedly hilarious but possesses good points. I’m not sure how interesting this other video would be.
I don’t think this video will have any effect. Everyone knows that we are consuming too fast. No one cares. It is sad … but for every video like this … there are a million ads showing you why purchasing something will make your life better. Often the ads are tiny easy to watch clips and they have a greater emotional impact. Anyone watching this already believes in its mantra. Buying a DVD is also ludicrous since it creates more waste … especially for a 20 minute clip. Sorry to be so pessimsitic …
- Phil.
I recently visited the US (and California specifically). I wrote about how fuel was simply being over-consumed by the sheer volume of the cars (transporting just one person). The editor found it useful enough to dedicate the entire column to the letter. But guess what the response of most of the locals were?
Yup, they told me to go back from where I came. And to stop telling us what to consume and what not to consume. The world needs a dictator at this point. Or fuel prices that reach $12 a gallon. That’s what will make people stop. And think for a change.