Consume vs Produce

    Our society holds on the balance of consumerism and productivity. Companies consume raw materials and produce new goods; countries import one type of goods and export another. If the value of all consumed goods is reater than of ones that were produced, then it will be really hard times for company or country. In live of every individual work the same principles. Everyone produces some goods or services to others and consumes goods that can afford. But this balance is broken on the level of information flow. 

    The amount of information that we consume increases from day to day, we watch more movies, listen more music and read more articles. Our hard drives are full of downloaded stuff, some have so many video and music, that it can take few years to watch and listen all of it. But there is only a little of self produced information, or even nothing. On every 1000 units of consumed information, there are only 2-3 units of  produced. And this ratio becomes only bigger.  

    Some of you can remember times when there were computers without mice, but with keyboards. At that time you had to input one type of information to get another. Then mice came to place and people realized that with one basic motion - click, they can get a huge amount of information in no time. No more need to input anything, just be ready to receive information and passively consume it. Next step of consumerism is happening now – iPhone and iPad, these devices are not suited for inputting information at all. What they provide is a way of controlling information flow. You can just sit down, relax and start consuming information. It’s nearly impossible to input any data with these devices. More cool touch screen devices are sold, and fewer become lines of devices with good input methods. More dramatically looks the ratio of speakers and headphones to  microphones, or cameras to monitors. 

    Same thing is happening on software level, people like to consume information that's why all this Apple stuff is great for them. Everything is shiny, looks great and don't require to do anything at all, no configuration, modification or customization. Users are afraid of system like Linux, because it requires  some skills to learn and do many modifications with it; in a result you can get a system that is suited best to you, but it's to complicate and hard for a consumer. 

    If we will check YouTube videos, then for every video there are few thousand viewers on average. Every popular blog has hundreds of readers, most of whom cannot write even a small comment. Everyone just consumes information without any output, they perceive the world like a big baby soother, and think that it's ok, nothing to worry. But in reality they become passive, lazy and empty.

    It’s up to you, to choose who you want to be. A person who produces information, grows, learns on own mistakes and moves forward, or the one who can only consume everything that is given to him, like a trash can.

    Not everyone can create a great movie or write a book, but there are thousand things that everyone can manage and share with others. In an example make a video clip, screen cast, draw a picture, write article, make good photos, write a recipe of your favorite meal or just place a good comment with your opinion under things that you read and watch. Please, stop reading, listening, watching and try to write, create and produce.

JUST DO IT!