OPEC Is Doing Us a Favor—One Short Video at a Time

Wait... what?

Anas Alhajji

Jun 14, 2026

Free. No Paywall

Guest Column by Mark Mathis

Wait... what?

Did I—an American, and a Texan at that—just compliment OPEC?

Yes, I did.

And the reason says as much about our culture as it does about OPEC’s latest marketing campaign.

We live in an age of constant distraction. Most people don’t spend even a few seconds thinking about the physical realities that make modern life possible. Instead, we’re fed simplistic narratives—”Oil is bad!”—until they become accepted as fact.

The problem is that those narratives often collide with reality.

Oil is not some relic of the past. Other than air, water, and food, it is arguably the most important physical substance supporting modern life. It’s embedded in countless products, powers the machines that manufacture them, and moves raw materials and finished goods around the world. Remove oil from society and modern civilization disappears.

That’s the reality OPEC is highlighting through a new series of short videos and images on various social media platforms. Healthcare? Oil. Transportation? Oil. Entertainment? Oil. Sports? Oil. World Cup? Oil. Humanitarian aid? Oil. Space travel? Oil. Fashion? Oil. (I listed seven links below the article for the readers to watch)

Pick almost any aspect of modern life and you’ll find petroleum somewhere near the center of it.

So why does this matter?

Because bad ideas become dangerous when they become conventional wisdom.

Take the so-called “energy transition.” The media repeats the phrase so often that few people stop to question it. Yet after trillions of dollars invested in wind, solar, and batteries, oil, natural gas, and coal still provide more than 81% of the world’s energy. Four decades and trillions spent have reduced their share by only six percentage points. Does that sound like an obvious transition?

The widespread belief that oil is becoming less important has helped justify policies that discourage investment in the resource most critical to modern prosperity. When people stop asking, “Is that true?” they become vulnerable to narratives that are likely to ultimately work against their own interests.

If you value freedom—the freedom to travel, produce, trade, and live comfortably—then you have a stake in maintaining reliable and affordable energy supplies. Public understanding of oil’s role in modern life matters.

I learned that lesson firsthand.

Fifteen years ago, after leaving journalism and entering the energy world, I produced a documentary called spOILed. The film challenged the popular claim that America was “addicted to oil.” My argument was the opposite: we’re spOILed by oil. Modern life works because of what petroleum makes possible.

The film was successful within energy circles. It sold out theaters, moved thousands of DVDs, and generated tremendous discussion. But it ultimately reached only a tiny fraction of the public.

One reason was obvious: convincing people to watch a 90-minute documentary is difficult. It’s much harder today.

What OPEC clearly understands is that messaging must meet people where they consume information. In the age of social media, attention spans are measured in seconds, not hours. Short, well-produced content has a far better chance of reaching people than long-form explanations.

That’s especially true for younger generations, who will bear the consequences if energy policies fail to keep pace with reality.

For years, environmental activists successfully targeted students and young adults with emotionally powerful messaging condemning the use of oil. Meanwhile, much of the oil and natural gas industry focused its communications on network television and newspapers. The result was predictably underwhelming.

OPEC’s campaign represents an attempt to compete in the arena established by anti-oil forces. I applaud that effort. But I do have one suggestion: Add humor.

When I made spOILed, some of the most effective moments came from comedy. People can absorb only so much information before tuning out. Humor keeps them engaged. If I were making the film today, I’d make it shorter and funnier.

The competition for attention is fierce. Every second counts.

So, here’s my challenge: OPEC has started the conversation. Now let’s see others join it. ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, Petrobras and the rest should be competing to produce the most engaging, informative, and entertaining content possible.

For too long, misconceptions about oil have gone largely unchallenged.

It’s time for a better conversation—one that doesn’t threaten your freedom or the comfort and productivity provided to you by oil.

Mark Mathis is a media consultant, author, and the Director/Producer of the documentary films spOILed and Fractured.