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The Century of the Self - Part 1: "Happiness Machines"

JustAdamCurtis · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Media, journalism & propagandaDocumentaries & storytellingPsychology & human behavior

What it is

The first part of Adam Curtis' documentary series on Sigmund Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays, who invented public relations. It shows how Bernays used Freud's ideas to link mass-produced goods to unconscious desires and create modern consumer persuasion.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters recommend it constantly in threads about advertising, propaganda and manipulation as the origin story of the consumer society.

  • 13 people recommended it
  • 9 different months
  • 4 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “It is truly fascinating and horrific -- all 4 or 5 hours of it!”

    Fascinating history of PR industry and Edward Bernays

    ericgj, 2017-10 · Strong recommendation · in “'Our minds can be hijacked': tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia”

  2. “There's a great four-part documentary by Adam Curtis about Edward Bernays”

    Great Adam Curtis documentary on Bernays and rise of marketing

    klingonopera, 2019-05 · Strong recommendation · in “Breakfast is a relatively modern invention”

  3. “I highly recommend the documentary, Century of the Self”

    Details how Bernays' theories were put to use by Nazis

    beautifulfreak, 2019-07 · Strong recommendation · in “Advertising Is a Cancer on Society”

  4. “The Century of the Self documentary by Adam Curtis does an incredible job of covering that and is well-worth the watch.”

    Incredible coverage of public manipulation

    torpid, 2024-06 · Strong recommendation · in “Israel reportedly used fake social accounts to garner support from US lawmakers”

  5. “I would recommend the documentary”

    Documentary about advertising as propaganda centered on Bernays

    the_greyd, 2018-09 · Recommendation · in “Taming the Lizard Brain”

  6. “It's starting to all come together for me as I re-watch The Century of Self”

    Shows corporations using Freud's ideas to create consumers

    diydsp, 2018-10 · Recommendation · in “DarkPulsar”

  7. “Folks in this thread may find this interesting, a 4 part documentary on Edward Bernays and the history of advertising and PR”

    Documentary on Bernays and the history of advertising and PR

    deepakkarki, 2019-05 · Recommendation · in “Advertising as a source of dissatisfaction: cross-national evidence”

  8. “It's a really good watch”

    Good documentary on Bernays' influence on PR

    stephenSinniah, 2019-10 · Recommendation · in “Still Manufacturing Consent: An Interview with Noam Chomsky”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: adam curtis, edward bernays, freud, advertising, propaganda, consumerism

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