The Cost of Cool: Youth, Consumption & the Environment 2001
Distributed by The Video Project, 375 Alabama, Suite 490, San Francisco, CA 94110; 800-4-PLANET
Produced by Population Communication International and Cognizant Media Ltd.
Director Michael Tobias
VHS, color, 26 min.
High School - Adult
Environmental Studies, Economics, Sociology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Oksana Dykyj, Head, Visual Media Resources, Concordia University, MontrealGeared at adolescents and hosted by former Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul, this video attempts to teach environmental responsibility and the value of individuality rather than the conformity of consumerism.
The first half of the video reflects the biases and politics of the producers, Population Communications International, in that an inordinate amount of air-time is used to inform viewers about predictions of overpopulation and its devastating consequences. Issues and ideas are presented in a rather disjointed way and printed statements are flashed on the screen without any discussion or comment as to source and scientific context. For instance, statements like, "At the current rate of consumption, 50% of all plant and animal species could be extinct by the end of this century" are used to frighten rather than inform. The word "consumption" is not defined in any way, and, the fact that the word "could" is used, provides an easy out for the producers. It is obviously important for teenagers to be aware of the environmental impact of clear-cutting forests but that particular segment is thrown in without discussion or much thought about how it relates to their own consumerism other than a general statement that American consumers are driving rain forest destruction.
The second half of the video more aptly deals with the notion of the evolution of the meaning of being cool and the trends towards advertising to kids at progressively younger ages. A number of 17-year olds discuss their gullibility to advertisement and their submission to peer pressure.
The goals of The Cost of Cool were to create an awareness, if not fear, in young people of how advertising affects their creation of taste and values. Although too one-sided and lacking the kind of objective investigation based in science and ethics that would be effective in adult and academic discussions, this video does in fact make an impact on teenagers, and may be useful for starting class discussions in such areas as Environmental Studies. It may also be used as a starting point to make students evaluate how and why they use their purchasing powers.
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