The Privilege of Access

Wherever the barriers to entry are low, we find masses and noise they create, especially on social media.

When masses get the power to create content from the comfort of their smartphone, they generate bottomless news feeds that only result in lack of attention and engagement. Add to that, the pushed content from advertisers and cryptic algorithms that only show you what you want to see and your limited world views are trapped in a filter bubble. 

Knowing that very little of it really adds value, we tend to scroll without paying attention and sometimes, even worthwhile signals/updates from people we care about are missed in an ocean of noise.

On the other end, a very few people actually use the privilege of having access to really ‘create’ something meaningful. Because the barrier to entry in ‘creating’ anything worthwhile is high. It requires sincere effort on a pursuit over a long haul. It requires us to sprint through the hurdles of our own resistance and fear of being judged. It requires us to be generous, ship consistently and own what we deliver or say. The emotional labor that creating and shipping entails is not everyone’s game. It is scarce and hence valuable.

We have a choice of what we do with all the access we have.

We can either choose to join the masses or leverage it to make a difference.

We can either simply consume random stuff, or have right filters to consume that which truly adds value.

To just consume mindfully or use what you consume to feed our creation in a way that adds value to yourself and others.

To rely on mighty platforms (often at the cost of your privacy and ownership of content) or build your own platform – your home base, a blog, a community, a product, an app, whatever and own the content.

Access opens up a world of possibilities, only if you are intentional about using this privilege wisely to learn, create and share.

That is where the real leverage is!