As someone working around
technology everyday, I was excited to read Robert Fritz’s latest post
on consuming and creating. He makes excellent points and questions the present ‘consumeristic’
tendencies appearing in culture:
“One thing that comes with modernity is the bad habit
of becoming a consumer of things rather than a maker of things. This difference
is profound in the way we approach our lives. Do we think in terms of what we
can buy or what we can make?”
This is how I presently tend
to break it down from a technology perspective, and I must preface it by saying
that these are just tendencies, not
absolutes.
Certain types of devices
‘inspire’ different kinds of use, and they are also deeply dependent on the interests,
background, and age of the audience.
Smaller mobile devices tend
to lean towards a “consumption approach.” These include smartphones and
“companion devices.”
Exception example: the iPad is about the same size as
a PC slate. The latter is touted as a “creation device,” simply because it’s
actually a fully functioning PC with the ability to run everything that’s on a
full-size PC. It’s can’t fully be considered a “companion device,” which is
never meant to take the place of larger, more capable and expansive devices.
Larger devices like desktop
and laptop PCs inspire a “creation approach.”
Exception example: online gaming on various larger
devices, including Xbox.
The bottom line: with so
many options in communication and technology available today, our awareness of how we use these devices is more
important than ever.
I propose that consumption
and creating are two intertwined variables that ebb and flow into the very
nature of our existence: we need both to achieve our goals—assuming we are in
touch with them. However, it also greatly relies on how we define consumption. Fritz mentions the term ‘passive
consumer.’ In my opinion, this is the most important moment in his post.
Case in point: I am
constantly “consuming” information. Heck, I found his post on Twitter using my
smartphone. I was absorbing the
information as I consumed it—I believe this is the subtle shift in consciousness
that Robert is calling out, and it’s a critical one. I am writing this post on
a laptop PC, and would never write it
on an iPad, slate or mobile device (although I have written song lyrics on an iPhone and iPod!) I am probably not
the greatest example of a passive consumer.
Blindly following the ‘rules’
of what we are given is never really a good course of action—unless maybe it’s
pulling the ripcord at a certain number of seconds after jumping from an
airplane!
For a long time now I have
felt that we have indeed been moving towards a “consumer mentality.” It
concerns me. There is a time and place for everything, but what’s predominant? It’s
more about the awareness, discipline and wherewithal it takes to not allow it
to run rampant and trample our human spirit.
Being a consumer is part of
who we are—heck I used to love
watching a good Schwarzenegger
flick—but it’s not ALL that we are.
I’m in corporate business
settings, and not everyone is like me, so it’s important to note that your own
consumer-creator approach may vary from mine.
We’re at a pivotal time in
our history. This is a time where in some ways, we are losing ourselves—part of
who we are. We’re simply not being critical enough and questioning things.
Consumerism relies on the ability to manipulate and inspire purchasing, not inspire creating. It’s a
slippery slope we’re heading down…
How do YOU define YOUR
consumption? What purpose does it serve for you? How does that compare to
whatever you call “creating?”
Being a consumer can be
about entertainment and enjoyment, but it can also be about taking in all that’s
around you as part of a full sensory experience… for me, it can also inspire me
to create. I could cite numerous creative examples of this but staying on track
and emphasizing again—I absorbed (or consumed) Robert’s blog on my smartphone,
and it inspired me to shift to creating on my PC.
Don’t forget to make that
shift, as it’s all too easy to live life with the lights off and check out too much.
Cheers!
m
