Seems to me that Reddit and other internet communities serve as arguments against this "unleashing" of creativity, as they suffer from the 1% rule ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%25_rule_(Internet_culture) ). In other words, if the idea is that Reddit serves as a microcosm of what basic income would do, then it suggests that 1% of people on basic income would be creating and 99% would be simply consuming.
So you believe that only 1% of the population enjoys or is capable of creation? That is BS.
1% of a given group A may be doing the creating, however many of the other 99% of group A may well be active in group B and be a creator there.
Additionally, I would guess that the percentage of of group that are active participants goes up as the group size goes down. In my DnD group the DM makes up ~15% of the group.
"if the idea is that Reddit serves as a microcosm of what basic income would do" then that idea seems obviously flawed to me.
>1% of a given group A may be doing the creating, however many of the other 99% of group A may well be active in group B and be a creator there.
The Free Market is structured along this assumption. 1% of people will make software, 1% will make music, 1% will farm, 1% will teach, 1% will build chemical plants, etc. etc. but they will each enjoy the other 99%'s productions. The assumption, of course, is that this will naturally fall into place. (Automation and even globalization/outsourcing threw a wrench into the system).
However, this "Law of Conformity" (mentioned in the great-grandparent comment) still applies in this 'new age' of 'basic income'. People will still converge on commonly esteemed things i.e. there will be A LOT of musicians, painters, filmmakers, etc. (many of whom will make crap stuff -- as is already noticeable on certain 'sections' of the internet).
Also,one of the real (current) reasons you never get payed a lot of money for helping people is because: the people that need the most help usually cannot pay you (or at least not pay you well).
The people buying your software, art, etc. are buying it after their own needs are well met (usually). That is the basic premise of consumerism. The morality of consumerism is an issue all on its own.
But it is also arguable that the Free market itself converges (or causes people to converge) due to this "Law of Conformity". The past few generations have pushed their kids like crazy to opt for 'better paying' careers, simply for the fact that they are 'better paying'.
Why? The Law of Conformity, I guess. :P An on topic video came out today by a fairly popular YouTuber, on the last point I mentioned (about the high-pay career pushing): http://youtu.be/16pVXq7Lscg
That's a possibility, but on the other hand you also have to factor in that the behavior of people currently on reddit is not only skewed 1) demographically, but 2) also affected by current society.
Regarding 1, I'd venture a guess that people on reddit are generally younger, and reddit as a community is bigger (especially if you stick with the 'main' reddits.). Many of my friends feel discouraged to be creative on reddit because of the sheer volume of creativity already there. They share their creativity in smaller workshops or among friends.
And considering 2, a lot of people have to use significant energy to do 'bullshit jobs', so when they come home they have little left for creative expression.
I lean towards the 'it's worth a shot' approach. I've been freelancing for a few years now, and in my constant battle against seeing my job as just a job, I notice a sharp increase in creativity when I get the 'money' part out of the way (via a fun or lucrative project), and when the job routines fades from my system (after some time spent not working actively on a lucrative-but-slightly-boring project).
Furthermore, if I look at my younger, more carefree self and at my younger siblings and their friends, I'm amazed at the creativity. They play minecraft instead of more consumer-style games, they tinker with electronics, and generally, after the novelty of 'doing nothing' wears off, seek out creativity with a passion. And this doesn't seem to be a specific subtype of people (geeks, creatives, whatever).
