The Century of Self by Adam Curtis
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 3 of 11 documentary series by recommenders
Recommended as a way to understand modern society and how consumer culture shaped it. One critic warns that visual mediums can be deceptive.
Recommended as a way to understand modern society and how consumer culture shaped it. One critic warns that visual mediums can be deceptive.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 91%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explains consumerism and modern society
“it remains the singular top recommendation I have to anyone who wants to understand modern society.”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Advertising as a major source of human dissatisfaction (2019) [pdf]” “I'd recommend the consumer culture exposition in Adam Curtis”
Comment from 19 May 2026 in “Show HN: Number Gacha, a gacha game distilled to its essence” Essential viewing for everyone
“everyone should see Adam Curtis' "The Century of Self"”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Advertising as a major source of human dissatisfaction (2019) [pdf]” “should be required viewing in high school”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Advertising as a major source of human dissatisfaction (2019) [pdf]” Strong treatment of its topic
“Adam Curtis' "The Century Of Self" is nice to watch on that topic”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “The mineral riches hiding under Greenland's ice” “The 'Century of the Self' really drives this point.”
Comment from 9 Jun 2026 in “Albania Is Not for Sale: Kushner's $4B Resort Triggers'Flamingo Revolution'” “The century of the self must be recommended also.”
Comment from 27 Aug 2026 in “Worst-case glacial lake flood scenarios in a transboundary Himalayan basin 2022”
Other documentary series people recommend
The four most recommended other documentary series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connections by James Burke | 33 | 1 | 97% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Triumph of the Nerds | 31 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| The Century of Self by Adam CurtisThis page | 10 | 1 | 91% | 5 | — | Approved |
| All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace by Adam Curtis | 10 | 1 | 91% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Secret Life of Machines | 8 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
9 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The century of the self must be recommended also.”
“The 'Century of the Self' really drives this point.”
“I'd recommend the consumer culture exposition in Adam Curtis”
“I think it’s worth remembering how deceptive visual mediums can be.”
“I can recommend The Century of the Self and The Power of Nightmares”
“Adam Curtis' "The Century Of Self" is nice to watch on that topic”
“it remains the singular top recommendation I have to anyone who wants to understand modern society.”
“should be required viewing in high school”
“everyone should see Adam Curtis' "The Century of Self"”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.