Imagine this. The kids at the restaurant don’t have their eyes glued to an iPad screen. They aren’t blasting Cocomelon music at full volume without headphones, annoying the people around them, and every child at the table socialized for more than a minute without checking their Snapchats, Instagrams, YouTube channels or Tik Toks. Imagine this. Instead of a meme blowing up, or a viral tweet canceling a celebrity, a book review in the NY Times or a horror novel could receive their dues. How different would our world be?
According to a national poll taken by Test Prep Insight, an organization dedicated to promoting education and preparing students for important exams, almost half of the respondents (48.5 percent) ages 18 and above stated that they hadn’t read a single book in over a year. It’s an alarming statistic that may have a direct impact on the next generation’s literacy. Research projects show that Generation Alpha, children born in the early 2010s and the mid-2020s, may have the hardest time developing and maintaining the reading and writing skills needed in life. The US National Assessment of Educational Progress displayed that 67 percent of fourth graders are not proficient in reading, as of 2022.
As we reflect on our culture of instant gratification, it seems as if all information can easily be presented and understood within the grasp of our fingertips. With all the social media short-form content videos, these concerns of literacy shouldn’t be easily overlooked; while some may argue that ChatGPT can read and write everything for us, we would like to argue that literacy is the basis of expression and communication. When we can write fluently, we are also able to expand our vocabulary to express ourselves creatively, giving a voice to our experiences and identities. When we can read, we are also able to understand other people more deeply; we allow ourselves to be open to a voice that is not our own, to imagine a world that is different from ours, making our own universe richer and fuller in creativity and empathy.
We don’t want to shame anyone for spending a lot of time on their screens. Instead, we want to promote reading an actual book alongside reading Facebook to incorporate a balance of content. Science shows that reading can lengthen our attention span while spending a lot of time on social media can shorten it. One study also found that over 75 percent of people aged 18-24 immediately reach for their phones when they have nothing else to do, compared to only 10 percent of people over 65. It may not seem important to have a strong attention span as information becomes more packable and consumable. However, having the ability to reflect, think and listen are vital attributes, not only in the classroom when achieving stellar grades, but to be a good friend or sibling, we must also be willing to be present for our loved ones. We must be willing to put aside the allure of the dopamine rush of a video, sit in vulnerability and listen to what the people around us are going through.
Furthermore, reading requires our focus and limited distractions. We can’t get the full effect of a book by going on our phones, as they require our full attention. In this way, books require us to be present and in the moment. All of the stresses of the world, whether it’s school work, personal problems or general anxieties disappear when reading a good book because we need to cast them out to fully appreciate the words on the page.
So try to avoid the brain rot, the skibidi slang and be a sigma by reading some books!
