However, I think it is the wrong perspective to take. People do all sorts of "seemingly" non-productive things (including but not limited to watching stupid youtube videos)... all the time. But I think these activities might have important and positive social properties (people bonding over the video, having a laugh). There are possibly even some positive psychological effects (such as stress relief). Well, that's just my thoughts on the matter. :)

But of course I'm not a psychologist, and I don't know if this is the case in reality. But it is certainly an interesting topic to explore.

So if I look at this frustrated guy rewriting app from one JS framework to another, and some other one being happy looking at some pictures of sheep, I'm really not able to tell which one is spending his time "better".

Of course there's also this thing that for one person exploring depths of some computer game may be very exciting and worth spending time, while somebody else may not get his dopamine unless he creates something new. Everything seems to suggest that the there are more consumers than creators out there <insert education system rant here>

But what I actually wanted to point out, is that when you look at human history, it seems to me, that even when spending a lot of time watching cats, average Joe is able and is doing a lot more of meaningful stuff today than he was able in the past. Again, meaningful is hard to define, but I mean there's more opportunity to do something that no one has ever done before. More niches and small global communities. Less time spent on dull repetitive tasks (yes, I think it does still hold true if you include China).

I like it, personally. Bad art, pretend art, halfbrained art, it's all someone's creativity and to me, that glass is half full. Collecting sheep pictures is perhaps a poor display of creativity, but it is an act of creation, and thereby vastly better than sitting in front of the teevee watching game of thrones.

http://49.media.tumblr.com/c6e37502d4da22a4761c9f3263a43c32/...

http://itswillstuff.tumblr.com/post/126348805922/ffffffound-...

I actually find deeply misguided to be (or trying to be) productive 24/7.

edit: more precise wording.

There is at least one of those 8 million viewers that you can ask directly: yourself.

I didn't watch that video and I won't be, so I'm asking you: Why?

I guess at some level, I expect a dopameine reward for watching a video.

And, I guess this also motivates the other 8 million people.

Even after I've watched something like this, I'm not entirely sure I've wasted my time.

But, I think this does point to some kind of human failing, or inherent human bias, a bit like a propensity for gambling.

That video needs subtitles.

Really? it sounds rather depressing to me. How is it any good that people would waste their limited time on Earth doing something like that?

https://41.media.tumblr.com/7788ddefda0ba2e5f9b688ab243df56f...