By trying to gather my thoughts on something that has been discussed at length, or from what I remember seeing on my father's bookshelves, discussed on the radio, and this very action of writing a blog, society is making more and more of a shift from one where the individual's experience is solitary rather than communal. It may be wrong for me to start with such a statement, as it is a reflection of what I experience, however no act of expression can be objective and detached from the author's experience.
There is an invitation to whoever lays eyes on this entry to make a comment, share it and so on. Comments do nuance and inform thus asking the readers and author to be open to another perspective. The same argument could be made about consumer products, whether they be ball point pens, cheese or tablet PCs. Using forums, participating in surveys and making a personal blog entry, and god-forbid using Facebook, all provide some form of publicity, feedback and data that designers, or data analysts may be able to use in future products.
We as consumers sometimes embrace what is available, complain about the way we have mishandled a product, or try impress other with what we have.
The two paragraphs above do little to summarize the differences and similarities between consuming and participating (would this entry be done in a participatory manner, editing would that opening sentence). However, the alienation from production and consumption that is lived today was the luxury of the minority of the elite, that is those who may have chosen, or have been restricted, from engaging in productive and creative activities... That is too simplified a vision - I should follow up on the lives of the aristocracy of different societies and see what was their relationship to the activities of consumption, design and participation.
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