Is Your Time Worth More Than 25 Cents Per Hour?
Before you say “of course” to what seems like a ridiculous rhetorical question, go check your screen time for social media.
Based on ARPU (annual revenue per user), the top social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok—generate approximately 25 cents in advertising revenue for every hour a user spends on their site (Statista, 2023). In aggregate, this earns them hundreds of millions of dollars per hour. Their goal? To keep you scrolling for as long as possible. Maybe in a future Substack, I'll cover the psychological tricks they use to make this happen.
But let’s take this argument further: what is the opportunity cost of each hour we spend on social media? Specifically, what else could we have been doing with that time? And would that have created more than 25 cents of value?
Beyond the financial aspect, what is the impact on our brains? We continue to scroll, chasing that next hit of dopamine. The more exposure we get, the harder it is to achieve that dopamine rush—so we scroll even more (Montag et al., 2019). This cycle not only affects our productivity but also rewires our brains to seek instant gratification, making it harder to focus on deep work or long-term goals (Newport, 2016).
Now, consider what that time could be worth if invested elsewhere. An hour spent learning a new skill, reading a book, exercising, or engaging in meaningful conversations could yield far greater returns in personal growth, mental well-being, and even financial gain (Duckworth, 2016). The cumulative effect of these small daily investments could transform our lives in ways that far outweigh the fleeting entertainment provided by social media.
So, if our time is worth more than 25 cents per hour, how do we reclaim it? The first step is awareness—tracking and acknowledging our habits. The second is intentionality—choosing to allocate time in ways that align with our long-term aspirations. Small changes, such as setting time limits, scheduling offline activities, or curating a more purposeful digital experience, can create a profound shift in how we value and use our time.
Ultimately, the question we should be asking ourselves isn’t just whether our time is worth more than 25 cents per hour—it’s whether we are making choices that reflect that value.
References:
Montag, C., Lachmann, B., Herrlich, M., & Zweig, K. (2019). Addictive phone use: Investigating the influence of personality and social learning theory. PLOS One.
Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing.
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner.
Statista. (2023). Social Media Annual Revenue Per User (ARPU) Data.