[gandalfgreybeer]

I think you're looking at "consumption" that is directly related to something productive. When one reads code, it goes towards writing (and all other examples you showed); that is essentially productive

However, what if I spend more time on Instagram and Twitter (consuming that won't lead to creating) over writing code. What if I spend more hours watching cat videos on Youtube over actually learning or making something?

Consumption in this context are what I'd call "empty calorie" consumption

[DinaCoder98]

> What if I spend more hours watching cat videos on Youtube over actually learning or making something?

That doesn't sound that bad in itself. In my experience falling into this trap many, many times over my life, it's something that's rather easy to recognize as harmful—just difficult to climb out of if it's an established habit.

So—consumption of unproductive content per se strikes me as less of a problem than a) addictive consumption and b) the illusion that consumption can replace a sense of self.

[BehindBlueEyes]

This. As long as platforms optimise for engagement e.g. to get more add revenue, it seems unfair to blame folks who enjoy cat videos for watching too many of them and not doing something more creative/productive. I wish there was a better/easier option to be able to watch just enough cat videos that one needs, in between "time disappears in a black hole of habit forming retention features" and "never touch that platform again".