hitchhiker: image of "don't panic" towel with a rocketship and a 42 (Default)
hitchhiker ([personal profile] hitchhiker) wrote2019-09-04 07:44 pm

consume less, create more

https://tjcx.me/posts/consumption-distraction/


I have mixed feelings about this - on one hand, there is a misguidedly moralistic overtone that the author hasn't quite managed to shed, that passive consumption is "evil" and that creation is "self-improving".

On the other hand, I do feel that creating stuff makes me happier and more satisfied, and it was interesting to read his journey towards that same realisation.

As an aside he also misses an important point about consumption - it can be a great thing as long as you consciously notice whether it is making you happier or more satisfied when you do it. The infinite stream of content is not dangerous because it encourages passive consumption so much as it is dangerous because it can lull you into consuming past the point of diminishing returns.
leiacat: A grey cat against background of starry sky, with lit candle in the foreground (Default)

[personal profile] leiacat 2019-09-06 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I would not have described it as "encouraging" or "nice".
leiacat: A grey cat against background of starry sky, with lit candle in the foreground (Default)

[personal profile] leiacat 2019-09-06 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I rather got the feeling that he considered his tone his greatest achievement about it.