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The Privilege of Being Able to Respond to Reality

Perhaps one of the most overlooked privileges is not wealth itself, but having enough margin in your life to respond to reality. Over the last few years, we have become fluent in the language of privilege, speaking easily about financial privilege, pretty privilege, racial privilege, passport privilege, educational privilege and social privilege, and in doing so we have become increasingly aware that people do not all start from the same place and that some doors open more easily for some than for others. Yet there is one form of privilege that seems to receive far less attention, and that is the privilege of being able to do something with the information you have, not simply knowing, but acting, because the truth is that information alone changes very little. We like to imagine that if people only knew better, they would do better, and entire industries are built around this assumption, from self-help books and documentaries to podcasts, awareness campaigns, public health initiative...
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If You Had to Pay Cash for Social Media, Would You?

Imagine this: every minute you spend scrolling through Facebook, watching videos on YouTube, or chatting on WhatsApp came with a price tag — a real cash charge deducted from your wallet.

Would you still spend hours online?

Would you pay KES 666 for just one hour of TikTok videos? Or KES 2,000 for a day of Facebook scrolling?

The Hidden Price of "Free" Content

Let’s break it down with some numbers. Suppose you earn KES 80,000 a month. You work about 8 hours a day, but after meals and breaks, your effective work time is 6 hours daily, Monday to Friday.

That totals roughly 120 working hours per month.

Dividing your monthly salary by your work hours gives you an hourly wage of approximately:

KES 80,000 ÷ 120 hours = KES 666 per hour.

Now, here’s the shocking part: what if you had to pay yourself KES 666 for every hour you spend on social media?

  • Spending just 3 hours a day would earn you almost KES 2,000 daily.

  • Over 20 working days, that’s a staggering KES 40,000 per month — half your monthly salary — just to consume content.

But What if the Tables Were Turned?

So far, we’ve imagined paying yourself for your time on social media. But what if instead, you had to pay the platforms for the content you consume, at that same rate?

You’d be handing over KES 40,000 a month for entertainment, news, chats, and videos.

Would you still scroll mindlessly?

Would you binge-watch another 48 hours crime marathon on YouTube?

Would you spend endless hours liking, commenting, and watching reels?

Most likely, the answer is no.

The Real Cost of Time

Money is something we understand — its value is clear, and losing it hurts. But time, the most precious currency, slips away quietly, untracked and unpaid.

Marcus Aurelius said:

“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place.”

Time is relentless, unforgiving, and irreversible. Yet we give it away freely in front of screens designed to keep us hooked.

Even "Useful" Content Has a Cost

Not all content is mindless scrolling. Educational videos, skill tutorials, or motivational talks seem worthwhile. But even these come at a price: your time, moments that could be spent elsewhere.

Ask yourself:

  • Is the knowledge gained worth the hours given?

  • Could the same hours be spent building real-life skills or relationships?

The Culture of “Free” and Its Trap

Social media platforms profit by turning your attention into revenue. The content is “free” — but the cost is paid in time, in distraction, in missed opportunities.

C.S. Lewis’s words remind us:

“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

No matter your income or status, the clock ticks the same. But where you spend those minutes determines your future.

The Discomforting Reality

Michael Altshuler once said:

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

If you truly piloted your time, would you willingly pay KES 40,000 a month for “free” content?

Would you pay that for social media distractions, viral videos, endless chats?

Or would you finally realize that your time is worth far more than the coins in your pocket?

No Easy Answers — Only Reflection

This is not a guide on quitting social media or managing time better. It’s an uncomfortable mirror held up to how we live today.

If time were money, how would you spend it?

Would you waste it?

Would you invest it?

Or would you simply stop and notice the cost of your “free” habits?

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