"the person consuming the content they enjoy never sees it as something that's self-indulgent."

"In my opinion the reasons you're seeing people shell out money to all kinds of startup-assistance services and sites is NOT because they are receiving some terrific value from them"

I think you have to also look at the entertainment factor. People are spending money because they enjoy reading this the same way they might watch a sports game or go to a movie. I guess the only issue is that (like education, religion or health) they feel the time (wasted?) is more justified because the intentions are somehow of a higher level than what is traditionally considered entertainment.