Black Friday: The Silent Cultural Invasion in Iran

By: Hossein Norouzi

These days, the term “Black Friday” has become increasingly visible across Tehran and many Iranian cities—on shop windows, Instagram pages, and even some cultural centers. In just a few years, this American shopping tradition has quietly taken root in Iran, often without the public understanding its origin, underlying motives, or potential cultural consequences.

This phenomenon is more than a simple marketing term or a day of discounts; it carries a worldview, consumer behaviors, and value systems from another society. In Iran, shopping has traditionally been tied to cultural and meaningful occasions: buying gifts for Nowruz, preparing treats for Yalda night, purchasing school supplies for the first day of school, and other national or religious events. These practices are embedded in meaning, planning, and cultural values. The sudden influence of a foreign shopping ritual risks eroding these deeply-rooted traditions.

The Rise of Consumer Hype

Black Friday in Iran is driven less by real need and more by hype. Flooded with promotional messages, consumers have little opportunity for reflection. Unlike traditional Iranian shopping, which emphasizes durability and careful selection, Black Friday encourages impulsive, momentary decisions. Moreover, many advertised discounts are exaggerated or manipulative, undermining trust in domestic markets.

Visual Culture at Risk

In a society where visual arts—from calligraphy to painting, ceramics, and handicrafts—play a crucial role in identity, Black Friday’s consumption-driven mentality threatens aesthetic standards. Homes become filled with low-cost, imported objects lacking cultural or artistic significance. The fast-paced, impulsive behavior promoted by this day clashes with the contemplative, reflective nature of serious art, and threatens to reduce the audience for meaningful art into passive consumers of mass-produced decoration.

Impact on Art Markets and Galleries

In recent years, some galleries and art shops in Iran have adopted “Black Friday” promotions to attract more buyers. This poses two major risks:

1. Devaluing Art: Serious art cannot be measured by discounts. Using Black Friday marketing equates artworks to disposable products.

2. Distorting the Art Market: Galleries should educate the public and preserve visual culture. Following consumer trends undermines their cultural role.

Furthermore, even individual artists (!) have joined this trend, offering special discounts on workshops and artworks during Black Friday. This illustrates that even the community responsible for safeguarding Iranian art can become entangled in superficial consumer behavior.

Concrete Negative Examples

Surge in cheap, mass-produced posters replacing genuine Iranian artworks.

Online auctions exploiting Black Friday hype, bypassing authentic pricing and verification.

Increased circulation of imported or counterfeit art objects, reducing appreciation for local craftsmanship.

Weakening traditional, meaningful shopping during Nowruz, Yalda, or other occasions.

Promotion of impulsive consumption over thoughtful, culturally-rooted practices.

Cultural and Psychological Consequences

Black Friday is more than a shopping day; it’s a mechanism of value transfer. Traditional Iranian shopping carries meaning—celebration, respect, gift-giving. Black Friday empties this meaning, focusing on quantity over significance. Socially, it introduces artificial needs, shaping taste and behavior according to foreign priorities—a subtle form of cultural colonization. Social media campaigns intensify this effect, creating FOMO (fear of missing out) among consumers.

Conclusion

If unexamined, Black Friday represents not just a marketing trend but a cultural rupture in Iran. It can weaken both visual culture and meaningful consumer habits. Even galleries and artists are sometimes drawn into this cycle, jeopardizing the integrity of Iranian art. Iran deserves rooted aesthetic values, not imported consumer rituals.

Awareness, critical thinking, and the revitalization of traditional, meaningful cultural practices are essential defenses against this silent invasion.