“Essentially, overshoot is a crisis of human behaviour,” says Merz. “For decades we’ve been telling people to change their behaviour without saying: ‘Change your behaviour.’ We’ve been saying ‘be more green’ or ‘fly less’, but meanwhile all of the things that drive behaviour have been pushing the other way. All of these subtle cues and not so subtle cues have literally been pushing the opposite direction – and we’ve been wondering why nothing’s changing.”
The paper explores how neuropsychology, social signalling and norms have been exploited to drive human behaviours which grow the economy, from consuming goods to having large families. The authors suggest that ancient drives to belong in a tribe or signal one’s status or attract a mate have been co-opted by marketing strategiesto create behaviours incompatible with a sustainable world.
“People are the victims – we have been exploited to the point we are in crisis. These tools are being used to drive us to extinction,” says the evolutionary behavioural ecologist and study co-author Phoebe Barnard. “Why not use them to build a genuinely sustainable world?”
Just one-quarter of the world population is responsible for nearly three-quarters of emissions. The authors suggest the best strategy to counter overshoot would be to use the tools of the marketing, media and entertainment industries in a campaign to redefine our material-intensive socially accepted norms.
that was also my read, more or less.
absolutely the mode of production is fucked and renders the choices of individuals relatively meaningless. however, the cultural influence of media and marketing also steers individuals away from sustainable choices. big trucks, SUVs, cheese-stuffed/ranch-soaked carnism every few hours, new/improved smart everything (e-waste being among the fastest growing portion of all toxic waste generated), cosmetics and microplastics, new clothes every season to be in style/current.
think about the phrase "treat yourself" and how the good faith interpretation is "do self-care", but what it tends to mean in advertising is to satisfy your hedonism without concern for anything--including your own health or the well-being of anyone else--but the most base aesthetic pleasure and whim of the moment. there are medications for acid reflux, lactose intolerance, diabetes and heart disease, so eat the salty corn syrupy ice cream at bedtime. get the $12 caffeinated milkshake for breakfast. "because you deserve it"... the irony and cruelty of that statement!
generally speaking, i have only noticed the insidious nature of marketing/advertising when i have been away from it for long periods of time (several weeks), only to be suddenly confronted with it on my return and its cloying pressure to do and have a bunch of things i would have never thought about on my own.