We live in a world where it’s so easy to be consumed by the hi-tech consumer products we get access to. Tablets, eBook readers, and smart phones are just 3 examples of many such devices. Most of these devices are feature-packed, and are designed to be as-much-of-everything-in-one-as-possible tools.
I feel very blessed to have some really cool toys and tools of the sort too, which I’ve bought and collected over the years, often after dealing with some fear of buyer’s remorse and assuring myself that what I’m buying is going to make me more productive or creative, and not just “cooler”.
This line of questioning before I buy a new gadget has made me realise that almost every device, tool, utility, and product we use can be used for consuming and for creating. Paradoxically, as accessibility to such gizmos becomes easier, the temptation to be a passive consumer becomes stronger.
With these devices, also comes the convenient illusion of productivity. It becomes remarkably easy to read news and blogs, watch TED videos, and sign-up for countless newsletters to learn more about the world and various areas of interest. The momentum builds up at a feverish pace, and our lives can pass us by as we prepare to use and apply all that we learn, but never actually do.
It’s up to us to decide how we want to balance our use of these awesome resources. Ultimately our tools and resources are not going to make us better entrepreneurs, students or people. Our will, determination, and resourcefulness is going to determine whether we cruise through life as passive consumers, or make the most of what we have to be creators and producers, and leave a meaningful mark on the world.
What percentage of your time do you spend consuming on your toys and tools?
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I think it is important to consolidate our toys. Sometimes I feel like I have to lug too much stuff around just to stay connected (this was never the plan) I am very excited about the advent of the tablet and feel like it is moving us closer to truly converged media that doesn’t cost the earth and doesn’t cause arthritis. Thanks for reminder that staying connected shouldn’t mean mad consumerism. It is amazing how technology that can simplify our lives have become status symbols and in many cases paper weights. Love your blog Dev – Nice work!
Thanks for the comment, Christian. Love your remark about them becoming paper weights. I guess that’s a third dimension to it, where we don’t even end up using (for creating or consuming) stuff we buy just for the sake of status. I wonder how many people use their smart phone really all that much more than a not-so-smart phone.
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