To “consume OR create”…this is the notion being bandied about in the technology echochamber of today. The perception of the content consumer has been relegated to a distracted, shallow procrastinator who is but a mere bit player with a reliance on the grandiose visions of entrepreneurial content creators. The prospects of being the next tech billionaire have overshadowed the benefits that modern information access has thrust upon us. The internal struggle to appropriately ration attention has created a false dichotomy; wherein, if you’re not creating, then you’re focusing your finite attention on idle consumption. Like most seemingly binary choices, incredulity is the appropriate response. Consumption and creation are not adversarial, they are discretionary acts whose balance must be struck by the individual–preferably for altruistic means. A myopic focus on the effects of over-consumption and under-creation overlooks the potential hazards of under-consumption and over-creation. If over-creation is being driven by the goal of establishing an egoic legacy and not on the behalf of actual demand or posterity, then this creator could greatly benefit from consuming more information to gain a greater knowledge of self and humanity. The aforementioned in no way validates conspicuous consumption, it’s just meant to shine a light on the actual benefits of moderate consumption. Depending on how much we choose to consume, the information troughs of today can be seen as a gift or a curse. Ultimately, the consumer must realize that their precious attention is the de facto currency of the web. Being mindful/present as to where our attention is being distributed, will allow us to effectively create AND consume.
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