Yes, and this is probably the more important half of it.

While I agree that too much or habitual over-stimulus can have a profound negative effect on productivity, without a diverse and varied body of experience, the other half of the process—convergent thinking—has nothing to converge from.

So while I don't think the article is inaccurate, it only explores half of the picture. _Excessive_ consumption does however imply an imbalance, but the article doesn't go much further than that.

Yes but no. Rather there's a threshold. On top of that, no input doesn't stop one from being creative in a unique way. You're bound re-invent already existing things though. Some input helps you to jump ahead and keep improving on top of what is already created. Too much input causes fatigue.

>Walking around, talking to friends, sitting in a bar, reading, etc.

Those are proactive intellective activities; whoever carries them out has to put some kind of effort in doing so. On the other hand, passive media consumption is effortless and has nothing to do with a conscious decision to engage in a more demanding task; it is driven by inertia and doesn't constitute an activity through which one can exercise their minds to a satisfactory extent.

> In contrast, just sitting in an empty room alone usually generates fewer novel ideas.

I personally have had of my most creative ideas while being "idle" : in the shower, in the bathroom (yep), driving on a highway, in the train with no smartphone...

Actually I no longer use a smartphone (I've commented on it on HN recently), and this has benefited me in many ways, among which higher creativity.

Edit : I do read a lot, technical and non technical, which makes an input.