Fanner50
32360
1098
25
Mar 20, 2026 12:29 PM
Fanner50
32360
1098
25
NoMuffinsToSpare
In the 90s police procedurals were popular among all demographics and frequent exposure to logic based problem solving was a huge boost to general intelligence. Now we have Tik Tok
bikergeek6249
The other thing is that as external stressors mount, the amount of mental energy you have available to devote to reading things with complex narratives decreases. People shift from reading novels to doomscrolling just to get a dopamine fix.
TheShogunOfSarcasm
It's BECAUSE they rad, WITHOUT thinking critically.
509tigerfish
Rayfire3535
Enterprise in the skyyyy, I go twice as hiiiiigh...
WeatherWiz
Reading comprehension is very important. But it’s also about doing your research, finding verified and trusted sources, and not reacting immediately to every headline or story you see.
LicensedAdHominem
Quite! *reads 906 toxic self-help books, 1488 fascism-coded YA novels, and three brazillion articles on ancient aliens and vaccine chips.* I be literacy!
MrSatisify
deadlywolf04
People are reading more then they ever have in history, but they’re reading social media, so read a good book not written by an idiot.
SomeGeek75ygh
While people are looking at words they're also not UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS SAID. That's literacy. A lot of people CAN read, they just are NOT LITERATE.
sockpanhandler
I read Wikipedia a lot, does that count as real reading? Serious question. It could be about anything from the history of India to the development of the Mitsubishi lancer
LostCaterpillar
So long as wikipedia remains a reliable source of information it absolutely counts.
BrokenAnimal
Books force you to sit with a line of thinking for a longer time, which is invaluable when you need to understand complex subjects.
And there are a LOT of complex subjects.
MoonMoon89
Now we need this to the tune of "Because I Got High".
LookAgain
"Resist much, obey little."
wejustdontknow
I bet Afroman would actually record it
Cactus21
He’s no longer busy with a stupid court case, maybe!
djangojazz
Why are people getting dumber? They post on a platform of a white supremacist criminal and then say: "But is has a lot of users!"
imeatingpizzaandfuckit
The thing though is that they aren’t getting dumber. We have ALWAYS been like this. What has happened is that the internet allows people to easily express themselves, and lots of people are mindbogglingly, criminally, galactically, stupid. And then they find each other online, creating a critical mass of stupid that can’t be shouted down. A far cry from when crazy uncle Markwayne was muttering to himself at the end of the breakfast counter.
UsuallyARabbit
Yes- all this “things were different and better” is not realistic. Things have always been this way. Sounds like you need to read some history instead of poetic fantasy novels. ;)
imeatingpizzaandfuckit
Truth.
LuminoZero
Over the years, I have noticed my attention span waning due to the media we consume. It's actually kind of frightening the insidious effect it can have on you. Now, even when I am reading something I am interested in, I find my eyes glossing over as I skip whole paragraphs.
Not even sure how to fix it.
Rayfire3535
Same. My tolerance for even watching movies at home is the same. Fine in a theater which is a focused confining experience. And it's only new stuff. All my old favorites stuff I already know, I can watch easily.
EroticZombiePants
This is very true. I can't remember the last time I've even bought a book. Just seeing that many pages devoted to a single thing is enough to fight my eyes glazing over. I still read, but it's basically primarily stuff like National Geographic or random wikis and articles now. I think that's still okay because I'm actually learning about the world a bit. I'd be more worried if I was just reading tabloids. It's still not ideal.
LostCaterpillar
Get away from any form of personal algorithmic recommendations. Their entire purpose is to addict you and degrade your attention so you do nothing but sit and stare as long as possible.
And this doesn't necessarily mean giving up content creators you like, there are ways to follow accounts while blocking recommendations. Youtube, for example, you can subscribe to a channel as an RSS feed and then download the videos to watch with no ads and no feed.
I can give more details if you're interested
ostensiblystupid
Read this to the tune of “Because I Got High”, and was not disappointed.
alt86er
On the other hand, »only« reading won't quite cut it. There's a shit load of stuff on the net, that I would actually not recommend for anyone to read, unless they think critically. Because they might end up just like the MAGAs or conspiracy theory fans. I'd say, getting an overall education before starting to read the crap out of whatever comes your way may help a bit and being at least a bit smart also helps. A dumb fuck that read 2 books in school will fall for most intentional misinformation.
fubizdaddie
I agree to this, but I set but reading as a symptom. I feel like the root cause is closer to "because we made it so ok to be so stupid, and stopped telling people when they were wrong because it hurts their feelings to be wrong"
alt86er
There is definitely something to that. It's also a vanity thing. Let's face it, nobody is actually happy being told that what they say or think is simply wrong (regardless whether that's true or not). But on the other hand, bullshitting yourself through life, fucking up everything and everyone in the process is no basis for actual positive progress. Or at least sustaining the good progress that has already been made. So in a way it's everyone's responsibility to stick to the truth and facts.
Sqeezytzatziki
Along with rhe comprehension skills that go along with reading .
onlymostofthetime
correlation does not imply causation. this implies reading would solve all of these problems, but the reality is more complicated than that. that being said, I am 100% on board with people reading more, investing in public libraries and re-investing money in our public school system. we can just use the money republicans use for religious charter school vouchers. that shit is illegal anyway.
thejon
Hey, question since you brought it up: would school voucher programs work if they couldn't be used for tuition at faith-based schools? (Not a gotcha or anything, genuinely curious)
I understand that it doesn't solve the problem for the kids whose parents can't/ won't use the vouchers, but would the end result still be a net-positive, since at least "some" kids are getting a better education? Assuming of course we don't evaluate it again using those same funds for a different program?
Zange0
Different person: Assuming the money gets burned otherwise, I suppose? The problem is that that money *should* be going to public schools and student programs but it's being redirected to vouchers.
TaggerXA
Hell, I’d settle for people reading articles instead of just the headlines (which a lot of the time; are clickbait), as a start.
It’s amazing how frequent you run into people arguing some article, and then they didnt even read the damn thing - just the clickbait headline.
mindstorm8191
Here's the thing though: Where is the incentive for people to make use of it? We could spend a trillion on better libraries, and making real knowledge available to everyone. Would using it actually make anyone's life better?
We're now stuck in a world where knowledge doesn't earn you a high-paying job.
We need to start honoring those who have knowledge & skills in useful topics... even if you yourself can't use them.
counterintel
Unfortunately people turn to their phones now in lieu of reading/watching things on other media forms. Thankfully the internet force feeds you *checks notes* ...misinformation and aggressive propaganda....
InTheNameOfThe
I would like to show you districts that are awash with money but so ineffective it would make you agree that it's better to give the tax money to the kids and let them stay home watching youtube. While charter schools may not help, they don't do as much damage as the corruption in many districts, and this shit goes all the way to the state level in many places, where conceited officials only care to keep their paychecks and unions could not care less about the children or young teachers...
dirtcreature
The current president does not read. It is clear to me that he considers his solutions novel as he has no foreknowledge of historical context. Because he does not read. Causality. Period.
cytherians
How many here know teachers, or is a teacher... and can see a notable drop in the literacy rate over time in the USA?
<𝐼'𝑚 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑>
BlindGardener
The internet was better back when it was so slow it was difficult to download videos.
There was a sort of sweet spot where downloading a 2 hour movie took four to six hours, but downloading an image with words on it just took a couple (noticeable) seconds. That was the heyday of the internet.
LostCaterpillar
Nah. Gatta go back before the eternal September. Allowing everyone meant that mass culture, and the ignorance that comes with it, drowned out internet culture forever.
EmeRgencyDrD
The old message boards were brutal if your grammar was shit.
JJankenstein
These days I get called a bot/AI for using proper grammar and punctuation. Fuckin wild how much we slid in, what, 10-20 years?
pixelsnader
you're*
fractalsphere
Now ask AI to summarize this and it'll be perfect
AtomIndigo
TLDR
lospaturno
R
mafiacarstarter
StatisticallyInsignificantCanadian
Wordless gif reply based on popular televised media is spot on.
azazyel
neospor1n
Like Yeast!!
iwenttousersubandalligotwasthislousyusername
Thorketil
rokidsyndisd
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1dmFtajllMWpjZWRkdGhrbzZ4YnVuOTh1M2Y3dWgxMHl5MzF3dGN4eCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/BWySufD6KWQzC/200w.webp
BananaForScaIe
TL
hmijail
ChatGPT, summarize this, tell me how to feel and suggest a response in meme form
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
4 letters that can make me so mad.
Sjg437
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1bGdoNDV5ZmxuZHg2c3BsMDZ6MTZyZjhjdjh0aDYxeXZsOTB2ZnQ1dyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/I6Fq8ezZa6ocrG2Bkt/200w.webp
AntaNce
TL, *can't* read
MyDogTige
It's not that people don't read necessarily, but can't.
Baconlovesyoutoo
The Barbara Bush Foundation has reported more than half of adults in the US cannot read above a sixth grade level.
spitfires2000
"Why is imgur so popular?" Well...
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
I read around 100 books a year but I still like imgur. It's good for short breaks, books are better for long ones.
B99Reactions
Well.... whaat? /s
eathotdog
Image you say? At some points in imgurs history half the images were screenshots of text from more popular social media websites
choppedliveraldente
Yes but choice selections. Not all of us need to soil ourselves everyday to find them. The dumpers are the real heroes. Especially video dumps
MajorNikon
It's not that they don't read. They read stupid shit because it speaks at a level they can understand and they are too fucking stupid to realize they are being played by demagoguery
dankenmutt
There's no f*cking time to read.
It's impossible to go 5 minutes without an interruption or having to follow up on something else.
Longest continuous periods of peace I get is on the sh*tter or sitting in the car before going home after work.
orivalx
I think about this too often. And sometimes it makes me think of a point i dont particularly agree with.
In premodern times the only people who could publish were people smart enough to go through the insanely difficult process to get it done. This meant there was a gate on how dumb you could be to publish anything. And since no one could read. The dumbest of people were kind of forced to sit in the corner and to just listen to the smarter ones.
Now anyone can write and
orivalx
The dumbest of people think their opinions are just as valid as the guy who spent 43 years studying the same thing.
We have also obliterated the word research. And now some people think googling for 30 minutes is a "lot of research" on the subject. When in reality actual research (even meta analysis) which is like academic googling are extremely time-consuming and way more in depth than anything most people ever do.
Obviously I dont fully agree. A high literacy rate is good. But damn.
LicensedAdHominem
Exactly. Garbage in, garbage out. The dumbest people read a LOT, actually, it's honestly shocking. A rock doesn't read and is smarter than they are. And it's all such trash they have to dig for it in the shittiest corners of the world. Toxicity, misinfo, anti-intellectualism, literal propaganda they actively seek out and write and re-spread.
MajorNikon
The problem is a lack of critical thinking which is what you get when you condition children from birth to reject it. If you can't challenge your own firmly held beliefs, then you are doomed to walk the earth as a fucking moron regurgitating bullshit.
iwenttousersubandalligotwasthislousyusername
This was actually something kinda interesting I found anecdotally in the majority of people I met who became atheists and then went back to religion. The reason they went back in the end isn't because religion made a better case, it's because their reason for not believing (or usually for believing strongly in the lack of a god) was also for shitty reasons. They didn't have an epiphany and see a new perspective, they usually got pissy about an injustice in their own life or someone close to them
ostensiblystupid
I always cited the slow death of critical thinking skills as being the underlying cause of phenomenon such as this. With AI taking over that “slow death” is turning into a sprint.
laurapede83
Also I truly believe it is pure laziness. Why take the time and energy, which isn't much in these Internet times, to research (google) anything and make up your own fucking mind. Ok, now I see the inherent flaw of my own reply.
rgraz65
They read the hell out of the crazy FB comments, the intentionally misleading drivel put out by folks like O'Reilly and the Orange Fungus himself. They read the Instagram posts and even TT crap that stokes and rewards their biases learned from brain rot stuff like Faux and its diseased branches. They read the things that allow them to feel righteous in blaming the least powerful for the absolute inhumane crap that the very wealthy inflict on us all.
JaTheRed
Hey I don't like how many of those words I don't know /s
donorkort
Any falsehood or misconception can instantly be "verified" by like-minded idiots online. The real problem is that critical thinking isn't taught (properly), and that doesn't really have anything to do with literature in a classical sense like the post claims.
WigglyBlondeNoodle
It's the devaluing of critical thinking that is the real problem. When every contradictory or conflicting viewpoint is treated like a personal attack, you stop analyzing them.
delecti
Which is also all caused by devaluing reading. I read a shitton as a kid, and as a result my ability to read grew as I did. If you grow up not reading, you'll grow into someone who *can't*.
randomwalrus
Also, they plain just don't read. Have three nephews, not a single one reads. Not books, not in-game text/tutorials/story, nothing.
iamthemurray
Why even bother at that point.. what a boring existence. Do they actively go out of their way to not care? Maybe they just lie to seem cool or something?
randomwalrus
Nope, not lying. The eldest expressed interest in playing D&D, so I gave him the player's manual, so he could learn how to make a character. Immediately nope'd out of it. A single chapter, he could skim through, zero interest. Got the lot of them choose your own adventure books when they were young. Never so much as looked at them. I've watched them play videogames, they just buttonmash through talking, then complain they don't know what's going on, or what they have to do, or how to do things.
mrsparkle001
Oh they read. They read nonsense on the internet now, including here on Imgur.
LostCaterpillar
That is a major problem with the posters premise. People are, on average, reading more than ever today as so much common communication has gone textual.
mrsparkle001
Yeah it's not that "books are the answer" it's that people, young people especially, read what's on the internet now and it's frequently highly-partisan opinion pieces and comments.
Feonir44
60% of America reads at or below a 6th grade reading level. That's it, that's the secret to how we are where we are.
wandermanspacebot
I'm interested in a source for that.
Feonir44
Also my bad I rounded up its 54% and that number fluctuates depending on whose studies you look into etc. There is a few sources on this that corroborate in essence, "It's not good" be it the 54% in the one I linked or variances in other studies.
Feonir44
https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics
wandermanspacebot
Thanks.
KingOfTheImgurians
And schools still teach reading and comprehension with some of the worst books ever: Moby Dick and....Catcher in the Rye.
Stolf
Ugh I remember reading that in school back in the 90s. Even then I was like, "Wow this guy is an absolute fucknut"
KingOfTheImgurians
There have been precious few fictional characters that I have wanted to manifest into the real world simply so I could hurt them. Holden Caulfield is one. Even in high school, I just loathed him.
rudie54
Moby Dick is incredible, and anyone who hasn't read it since high school really needs to sit down with it again.
BlindGardener
It’s OK. Not incredible. It’s an enjoyable read, but very much not my favorite.
BlindGardener
Moby Dick is an OK book, but it’s the wrong choice for reading comprehension: Long, archaic, and about a topic kids don’t care about. Oliver twist is a better choice, since it’s about a topic kids care about.
Catcher in the rye, on the other hand? Eh… fuck catcher in the rye.
Fanner50
You can’t get into a flow with Moby Dick. Much of the page is footnotes.
Same for Shakespeare.
More contemporary books are better. But then the instructors can’t rely on their old notes.
wandermanspacebot
I always taught modern stuff, but that's because my students were seniors and the school was no longer worried about training them specifically for the funding-linked ACT test.
BlindGardener
Pratchett probably doesn’t work well for the same reason then?
KingOfTheImgurians
Pratchett's work, at its core, is about hope and strength and finding your own morality, so yeah...we can't let ANY of that stuff make it into a school. Also, GNU Terry Pratchett.
LostCaterpillar
A big part of "reading" is cultural literacy and that means old works with an outsized legacy. If we're accepting your posted 𝕏eet at face value people are, on average, reading more than ever now as so much day–to–day communication has moved to text.
The problem is that there's a big difference between reading txt's and tweets and engaging with the cultural cannon.
That's not to say that there aren't contemporary books that are good, just that they're not a substitute for Shakespeare.
Fanner50
Shakespeare isn’t even written in language most could easily understand now. Again, half a page of foot notes.
If you had knowledge of modern writing, you could choose works on par with Willy, without a bunch of hidden meaning.
Maybe you’re just one of those who likes barriers to knowledge.
LostCaterpillar
With the minor addendum that Shakespeare should be seen rather than read, it's really not that hard to follow.
I know you'll think this is a lie but I swear to you it's true. When my kid was five they went on a major Shakespeare kick after watching A Midsummer Night's Dream, specifically because they were engaged by the funny story and poetic language. They memorized several monologues and we did a couple scenes from the play together as well.
That is to say, what barrier?