‘Buy Now: the Shopping Conspiracy’ is Nick Stacy’s latest social issue documentary, released on Netflix in late November 2024. It takes a deep dive into Western society’s obsession with consumption, pulling back the curtain to show how many of the world’s top brands will do anything to keep you locked in an endless buying cycle while diverting attention from the environmental consequences of our spending habits.
WHAT does the documentary talk about?
With the rise of online shopping, thoughtful and intentional spending has become a thing of the past. Within Buy Now, Stacy shows how companies have spent enormous amounts of time and money engineering a culture where we expect instant gratification when it comes to our spending. The goal is to deliver what we want almost as soon as we think we need it—without pausing to consider how much we are consuming or what the long-term impact might be. The expectation has become that we can have whatever we want, whenever we want it, with little thought for the consequences.
The documentary then shifts to the practical realities of this consumption. It traces the entire lifecycle of a product, from its initial conception through to the end of its life, revealing the shocking truth: many products are intentionally designed to be thrown away within just a few years.
It exposes the reality of what happens when you ‘recycle’—where your discarded items actually go, and how this affects both the environment and the well-being of people in the countries where our waste often ends up.
Technology is another key focus. The film highlights how phones, laptops, and tablets are now deliberately built in ways that make repair and recycling nearly impossible, such as sealed-in batteries that prevent proper disposal or reuse. These design choices push us into an endless cycle of replacing rather than repairing, fueling even more waste.
WHY should I watch it?
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy is a documentary I would highly recommend to anyone interested in both creation care and understanding the impact of their daily life on the environment and humanity. It is emotive and realistic about the state of our world, but it is not without hope.
The documentary ends with both a challenge and encouragement. It asks the viewer to reconsider their habits but also reassures them that change is possible—that we don’t have to accept this as the status quo. We can reset the clock.
This documentary is perfect for group discussions and will spark important conversations about how we can reshape our relationship with consumption.
