As a teen and young adult, I wanted to read books - especially fiction, especially novels: so I did.
I read a lot of books even when I was very busy doing other stuff: e.g. studying at school or college - even when I was working as a doctor, even when I was a House Officer/ Intern - even when doing the 80 hour shift at weekends...
My point is that I wanted to read novels, so I made time to read novels.
I don't claim any credit for this - I was simply indulging my personal preference - other people have other preferences. But people who claim not to read books "because" they don't have time; are actually saying they don't much want to read novels - they would rather do... something else.
This applies across society. People are able to do what they really want to do, and if they don't much want to do something - then they are easily put-off doing it.
Modern people do not go to church, meet and participate in groups; don't do hobbies like they used to; don't play sports; seldom dance, act or make music. And so on.
Yet people did all of these things and more - somehow but avidly, as best they could - in the middle twentieth century - despite living under the oppressive and invasive conditions of communist dictatorships.
They don't do them because in general they don't sufficiently want to do them; but want to do other things instead.
Busy people nowadays make time, and spend money, to go to the hairdressers for elaborate interventions; get tattooed; go to the gym; go jogging - and interact on social media.
That is what sufficient numbers of people want to do, and they do it.
The problem is in the wanting.
When people's wanting is socially influenced, it is (substantially) externally-controlled; and when that external-control is (overall) malign - then people want to do bad stuff, or at least suboptimal stuff - and they don't much want to do good stuff, so they don't do it.
The effort, time, and money is channelled into doing stuff they want, and that wanting is externally motivated.
What is futile, is to complain/demand that external influences are not making me want better things.
Do we, here-and-now, seriously expect society to want us to do stuff that is good for us?
Do we seriously hope that in the 21st Century in The West - external influencers will start encouraging purposive, meaningful, positive, creative, loving activities?
If we expect a better society as the starting point for better lives, if we intend to reform social institutions such that they will begin to influence people for good; then we will wait a long time, and wait in vain.
But if we want to want better; then we, as individuals, will first need to detach our own wanting from external influences.
We shall need to discover what we ourselves actually want from life; and encourage others to do the same.