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lend000yesterday at 5:24 PM2 repliesview on HN

While books > articles > audiobooks > podcasts > listening to music > TV > short-form content, it's all content consumption in the end, and while that's fine, I think it's a little overhyped.

I prefer to draw the distinction at creating vs doing vs consuming, and focus on balancing the time spent consuming (which is a natural part of enjoying life, but usually people consume way too much) unless it's in the service of one of the other two categories (e.g. consuming articles to learn/inspire the creation of something better or plan a trip to do something, etc.)


Replies

grey-areayesterday at 5:47 PM

No, it is not all just ‘content’ which is roughly the same and can be consumed like a snack. That’s a word used by people who think thoughts, feelings and stories are just carriers for advertising and selling you things.

Words matter, don’t take your word choice from ad factories instagram which popularised this term.

Reading (I won’t say consuming) a good book can stay with you forever. People from 2000 years ago can speak to you in their own voice from behind the grave. And you have the audacity to call it content and compare it to cat videos and call it ‘overhyped’?

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lanfeust6today at 2:26 AM

I use a similar heuristic, but I think what we "do" for leisure is still consumptive, albeit an active sort. Reading, for it's part, exercises cognition better than something like TV.

I rank listening to music way above audiobooks and podcasts. Music is a revelation.