We are Destroying Reading

Social media is destroying reading. Generative AI is destroying reading. We have turned reading into an aesthetic where the book-centric corridors of social media apps TikTok, Instagram and YouTube while having influence on the uptake in readership, also suggest that we are all reading the same books or are not actually reading books and just making it look as though we are reading books.

When we are actually reading, we are all just reading the same regurgitated books or authors that influencers on BookTok, Bookstagram or BookTube tells us are good. They must be good right because five different influencers (one,two, three, four, and five) have just told us they are. Publishers and bookshops alike are using this to their advantage with bookshops just spotlighting those which have gone viral on social media, while publishers are just replicating those that have previously done well. “As seen on BookTok” stands or websites are leading book buyers to what is trending and discouraging the meaningful journey of book discovery. Social media algorithms are also making it harder for readers who want to read outside of what is trending.

But tell me, why would we actually read books when Generative AI can read them for us? Books have too many words. We no longer even have to spend two hours watching the film version, we can just ask ChatGPT. It’ll tell us what it was about, make comparisons to similar books or media for us and even tell us how to feel about it. Instead of spending our valuable time reading we can use our time for what really matters – scrolling and consuming. Meanwhile we are disadvantaging ourselves from the many benefits we gain from reading such as the skill to read, insight into other people’s lives, empathising with others, inner clarity and healing, escapism, enjoyment, friendship and community, improved vocabulary, lower stress, better sleep, and better mental health. I suppose Generative AI could just tell us how to do these things but somehow, I don’t think this would be as effective.

The art of reading is rapidly decaying however we still continue to feed Generative AI more content and social media influencers more money. College and University students don’t know how to read properly but I guess our future doctors can rely on technology instead of their brains to solve all our medical problems. I think we may need to reassess some of our values and priorities.