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The End of Reading: A Post-Literate Society

As people increasingly consume short-form content, a decline in reading long-form texts is becoming a widespread phenomenon. This shift has significant implications for cognitive development, cultural transmission, and the way we engage with information. Experts argue that the rise of post-literacy is not just a literacy crisis, but a fundamental change in the way we process and interact with text.

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The essential points

  1. 01Reading scores are declining, with 30% of Americans struggling to paraphrase or make inferences from a multi-page text.
  2. 02The share of Americans who read a book or article on any given day has declined by 40% over the past two decades.
  3. 03Long-form reading is being crowded out by short-form content, with significant implications for cognitive development and cultural transmission.
  4. 04Experts argue that the rise of post-literacy is a fundamental change in the way we process and interact with text.
The full brief

As people increasingly consume short-form content, a decline in reading long-form texts is becoming a widespread phenomenon. This shift has significant implications for cognitive development, cultural transmission, and the way we engage with information. Experts argue that the rise of post-literacy is not just a literacy crisis, but a fundamental change in the way we process and interact with text.