An 'economic blackout' is happening today. Here's everything you should know
An effort to encourage U.S. consumers to participate in a day of protest by not spending money Friday has picked up momentum online, with thousands of people across social media saying they plan to take part in the “economic blackout.”
An effort to encourage U.S. consumers to participate in a day of protest by not spending money Friday has picked up momentum online, with thousands of people across social media saying they plan to take part in the “economic blackout.”
Started roughly a month ago by John Schwarz, a Chicago-area meditation and mindfulness educator, the idea has taken off on social media, where searches for the term surface hundreds of posts of people sharing screenshots of infographics and encouraging others to participate in the protest. Google’s search data shows queries for “economic blackout” have surged in recent days.
“Don’t buy stuff on February 28,” author Stephen King posted on Bluesky. “Money’s the only thing these d---- understand.”
Actors John Leguizamo and Bette Midler have shared similar sentiments in recent days to their social media accounts.
The call to action, or inaction in this case, comes as the prices of essentials such as groceries continue to rise, the housing market remains frozen and U.S. credit card debt has reached a record high. Adding to those woes, a closely followed consumer confidence report recently logged its sharpest decline since August 2021.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/consumers-plan-economic-blackout-feb-28-rcna193767
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