Why I Choose Creating Over Consuming in the Age of AI.

MOMENTS & MEANING | Creativity & Technology

By TLS

Most days, I’d rather create than consume.

Creating versus consuming content, ah yes, that old debate. To write, one should also read, and I do. I just don’t want to spend most, or even much, of my time reading other people’s stuff. Some read, some create, some do both. But one thing seems constant: there are always far more consumers than creators. Despite what my feed might suggest, out of the tens of millions of Substack accounts. I’m sure the vast majority are readers, not writers. So there should still be plenty of fish left in the sea, so to speak, for me to find and convince to subscribe.

Sure, consuming content has its advantages. It can provide information, education, perspective, maybe even a little enlightenment. It definitely has its place, even for creators. But time is limited, and we all have only so much to give each day. So, I’ve chosen to spend my discretionary time writing instead of endlessly scrolling.

Speaking of time, many creators are now using AI. Some use it to supplement their work, others pretty much let it do everything. And it does work well for some things. Other times… not so much. One thing I’ve noticed: once you start using AI, you can usually spot AI writing from a mile away. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if someone’s selling a product, a service, or a course. In those cases, AI can be a force multiplier, doing the heavy lifting so they can focus on their real work. Good for them.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any of those products to sell. My only real offering here on Substack is my voice and perspective. And AI tends to strip both of those away when it edits too heavily. So while I can use it for some help, I still have to do much of the hard part myself, putting words on paper and hoping they land somewhere meaningful.

So yes, I want to be a creator more than a consumer. Does that make me bad or a hypocrite? I don’t think so, though I’ve been wrong before. What if I came here only to consume and not create? Would that make me hypocritical? I doubt it. We all choose how to spend our time, and I’d rather use mine to make something of my own. Who knows, I might just create something special by accident.

What about you? How do you spend your limited time? Do you lean more toward consuming or creating?

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