✚ Creation vs. Consumption Devices

In a piece over at Overland, John Weldon looks at the idea that the iPad is a device geared toward consumption.

Let’s concede, for the sake of argument, that the iPad is indeed a consumption-centric device (I don’t think that’s true, but let’s just run with it). What’s wrong with that?

The term “consumption” is a loaded one. To most, I think, it suggests the passive intake, and subsequent expulsion, of unnourishing cultural gristle. Consumption is then contrasted with “creation”, an act that is understood as active and wholesome. Consumption = Bad. Creation = Good.

The problem, of course, is that not all “consumption” is passive, and not all “creativity” is nourishing. If the iPad promotes “consumption”, couldn’t we also say it promotes a state of receptivity? The iPad is a great place to read long-form articles and books, to view works of visual art, to watch important films, and to listen to the pieces of music that have served as cultural touchstones. Instead of feeling compelled to jump in and respond, the iPad enables us to engage with the work of others without feeling distracted.

It’s baffling that artists, writers, and creative-types are so predisposed to look down on “consumers”. After all, within that amorphous group we might call “consumers” are art-appreciators, serious readers, critics, music geeks, and, in fact, everybody who enjoys any part of our culture. Without “consumers”, creators would have no audience. If we were all creators, all of the time, we would simply be throwing our work out into a void. Creators need consumers, and consumers need creators.

So, let’s concede that the iPad is a device that promotes “consumption”. From the perspective of a creator, isn’t that glorious? The iPad is a device on which people can appreciate your work, simply and conveniently. Even better, the iPad is a device on which you can distribute your work, and likely make some money doing so.

Privileging creation over consumption is akin to privileging speaking over listening. If our culture is a conversation, you can’t have one without the other.

(As an aside, I’d also suggest that holding any device or object responsible for restricting creativity is ludicrous. If a human being wants to create, they’ll find a way to do so. Give a kid a box and they’ll create a castle.)