O enigma do consumo: a lógica que organiza sua vida

Abstract

The Educational Product “The Consumption Enigma: the logic that organizes your life” was developed within the Professional Master’s Program in Professional and Technological Education (ProfEPT) as an outcome of the research “Conceptions of Sustainable Consumption in Professional and Technological Education: a short film in accessible formats for a humanizing education”, conducted with students and staff members at IFMG – Ouro Branco Campus. The study identified different ways of understanding this issue, with a predominance of conceptions that recognize the possibility of progress through changes implemented within the capitalist system, as well as the presence of critical and hybrid arguments. Among students, the findings also indicated a low perceived frequency of discussions on the topic and limited opportunities to participate in discussions and decisions related to consumption. These results guided the development of an educational proposal that would not be limited to recommending sustainable behaviors or presenting ready-made answers, but would instead foster the problematization of the relationships among production, labor, consumption, education, and sustainability. The Educational Product consists of two complementary resources: the animated short film “The Consumption Enigma: the logic that organizes your life” and the digital booklet “Mediator’s Guide.” Grounded in the perspective of integral human development and in a problem-posing approach, the short film uses audiovisual language, situations, images, and questions to broaden reflection on relationships that are not always perceived in everyday consumption practices. The Guide expands this proposal by providing theoretical foundations, guiding questions, scripts, thematic axes, activities, and instructions that can be adapted to different audiences, time frames, and educational and institutional contexts. Accessibility was considered in both components, with captions and Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation in the short film, and textual image descriptions and navigation features in the Guide. The Educational Product was implemented with students and evaluated by students, staff members, and professionals working in pedagogical and accessibility-related areas, whose contributions informed adjustments to its final version.