Reflections on Reading and Writing

And a renewed commitment to both.

I just watched a couple of YouTube videos on the impacts of social media on the acquired, solely human skill of reading and the potential impact shocked me.

We know that all animals (possibly all living things) communicate – bees dance, birds sing, wolves bark and howl – but only humans scribble symbols together to convey ideas without having to use their bodies, gestures, facial expressions, or vocal sounds. Only humans have created a visual form of communication that doesn’t require that the individual delivering the message be present or even alive for another human to receive it. This is the marvel of the written word.

Written language has only been around for about 5000 years. That’s it. Reading and writing are not biologically wired in like walking or running. They were invented by people.

Without explicit instruction, these capacities do not spontaneously develop through typical life experience or biological development. They are learned skills that must be intentionally practiced - think printing/handwriting, spelling and punctuation – and require instruction that is developmentally graded.

The outcome is the ability to think about things we cannot see or touch or concretely experience in our immediate environments. We can be transported to imaginal realms. We can learn about things we would have no direct experience. Abstract concepts become part of our inner reality through the magic of the written word. Learning to read those scripts takes time, effort, and patience. And sustained focus and attention – commodities that are shrinking in proportion to the size and volume of short form videos and reels.

The long form videos I watched made it clear that, as our ability to engage in sustained focus and attention decreases, we are collectively losing our interest in reading and writing. And because they are not “biologically wired in”, these are the skills that are at risk of disappearing quickly across human populations.

Studies have shown that the general IQ of the population decreases with exposure to social media and short form videos – in teenagers! That means that the next generation is more likely to be less capable – if they’d even be interested – in reading, just at a time in human and planetary history when we need competent thinkers and problem solvers more than ever to help humanity and potentially the planet at large navigate the complexities and risks of the social, political, and environmental challenges we face today.

I have certainly heard these concerns expressed before, but, for some reason today, it stuck. Perhaps because the long form video I watched put this in context by explaining that the Library of Alexandria had not actually been destroyed. It simply fell apart due to neglect and disinterest as the Western world collapsed into the dark ages. And, in the current age of distractions, this can happen again. With that little nugget, I was moved to delete my Facebook account and use google to research “how to write an essay” – specifically, 500 word reflective essays – and started writing.

Applying the ‘use it or lose it’ truism, I’m making this a daily habit. 500 words (plus or minus ten percent) focused on something of value – some new piece of knowledge, insight, or tidbit that was inspiring – and documenting through the written word my learning and reflections. Not all of them will be published here – some may be just personal statements or expressions of things I need to “get off my chest” and will be written strictly for my own satisfaction or emotional expression, but a daily writing practice (in addition time spent reading each day) is now a non-negotiable.

This is me being the change I’d like to see!