Over the past 4 weeks I’ve averaged over 3h a day on my phone. Wow.
We live in a world of consumption, media, products and information. Whereas once the possibilities for consumption were very limited, in the modern age we are provided with more than we could ever possibly consume.
200 years ago how could we consume? Maybe a book or a newspaper. No internet or TV. Shops were open during the day, short hours selling only local products. No imports from China or 24/7 convenience stores. At night, it was candle light, no bulbs. Out time was very much our own and we did not have the stimulus that is presented to us today.
I don’t think I’m the only one who falls into the consumption trap, but we have to recognise that the power in the modern landscape comes from content creators, not the consumers. Both digital production (YouTube, code and other) and physical (products, rockets, literature) are the true source of ideas. Creation is an active pursuit, consumption a passive one. One of them challenges our mind to create, the other lets it sit and be influenced.
Perhaps we can learn a lot about the state of the world by considering this balance. People join causes fanatically through consuming the same media and groupthink can become more powerful than ever through disinformation (not lack of information as in the past).
Take a look at your screen time and ask yourself, do you want to be influenced or influence?