Consuming and Producing
I have been thinking about the difference between consuming and producing – specifically in terms of technology use – but also in general. I came across an article earlier today that prompted me to think about how new devices like the iPad are designed primarily for consuming content, whereas the ‘traditional’ full-function personal computer is designed primarily for producing/creating content (or at least excels best at this). These are tentative thoughts on the matter, but I find this division interesting. Directionally they are very different. Producing is an act of giving, whereas consuming is an act of taking. Of course, it’s not so simple. Social media technologies and websites such as YouTube encourage (or perhaps live off of) content production by those who would traditionally be consumers, yet the majority of activity on these sites is one of consuming.