what happens when we stop reading deeply
+ skimming, skanning, scrolling, and the delusion of social media
This weekend the rain persisted and so did mine and Bel’s hangovers. I went out to watch the rugby and met the first Kiwi’s (other than Bel) that I’ve seen since moving here - who knew they were all hanging out at O’Gilin’s Irish Pub? I also met Maia, a cute newsy reader who walked over to me, and said “sorry if this is weird, but are you ‘Shit You Should Care About?’” Confused, I said yes, and asked her how she knew it was me. “I knew you’d moved to Lisbon and heard you yell something at the rugby which just sounded like something you’d say,” she said. God I love how much you all know me and how small you make the world feel.
Today’s newsy is a little bit different - I’m still feeling totally jaded by the state of social media and the amount of people telling me I’m disappointing them on a daily basis (not you - you’re the best!!) It’s kinda giving me writer’s block (and also podcasters block???) so, I’ve found some people who’ve written the type of things that my brain won’t let me write at the moment. Love you! 𓆩♡𓆪
Are any of us ‘reading deeply’ anymore?
I am as guilty as the next person of reading the first few paragraphs of something and feeling like I’ve got the most important part out of it - either that or I’ve been distracted by a link sitting within the article and before you know it I’m already five tabs away from the original piece. I actually do this so often that Dunc will send me something he’s enjoyed (or something he’s written) but only if it feels luce-coded enough that I’ll get the gist from a simple scan and choose to continue on. Over the weekend I read ‘Skimming, scanning, scrolling — the age of deep reading is over’ in the Financial Times and I can’t lie - I agreed with it so much that I actually read the whole thing (not just because of how ironic it would be if I didn’t). It hooked me in because it started off like this:
“Any monk still producing calligraphy after 1492 probably sensed he was working in an outdated medium. I write texts of more than 30 words, so I now feel the same.”
One part that really stuck out to me was about how ‘high-level reading’ in the past has been crucial to how we organise and move forward as humans which doesn’t leave me feeling that hopeful for what’s to come:
“…higher-level reading” has been essential to civilisation. It enabled the Enlightenment, democracy and an international rise in empathy for people who aren’t like us. How will we cope without it?”
God - sorry to be chopping up this piece (which you should really go and read yourself) but I feel like there’s so much I want to share with you. Like how using our phones to read things is not the same as reading a book, where you’re totally wrapped up in the universe of it (which is maybe why I’m so excited to be writing ours.)
“Doing deep reading on your phone is as hard as playing tennis with your phone,” says Maryanne Wolf of UCLA.
We aren’t supposed to be reading everything on a device the size of the palm of our hands, and we also aren’t supposed to be getting our news by accident from a random person with an opinion on TikTok.
What we’re living through right now is at total odds with deep reading. When everyone from your fave sportsperson to your local hairdresser is being encouraged to read and learn more than ever, but at the same time being told they have to chop, crop, and post online as quickly as possible to make sure they are mastering the performance of ‘the good guy,’ the time to read an entire piece (and then find another one with other perspectives so we can make our own minds up about things) feels like it’s run out before the timer is even set.
Maybe it’s because it’s so close to the bone, but it feels like it would be a good idea to refrain from telling people how disappointed we are in them for their lack of performance (this will only lead to them sharing rushed and likely incorrect info), and give each other a second to re-learn how to read deeply.
And congrats if you made it to the end of this!
The Delusion of Social Media
Sort of in the same vein as what I was saying above, I loved this piece by Brendon Holder, mostly because I wish that I was brave enough to write it myself (can you tell I’m feeling totally jaded by social media atm?)
I’m gonna put an excerpt here in case you don’t want to click the link (no excuses for not reading it now!!)
The promise of social media initially touted an ability to foster community, connection, and conversation but everything becomes flattened online. Nuance is lost. A region’s complicated history is reduced to an infographic. The death of a Black man at the knee of a police officer becomes reduced to a square. Social media is effective at raising awareness but, as seen by KONY 2012, awareness is not always action.
And yet, as embarrassing as it is to admit now, those stupid little Black squares meant something to me back then. No matter how delusional. During that bleak period, delusion was the only comfort I had. Next to delusion sits faith. And next to faith sits hope. Who are we to deny anyone of hope?
Instead, we must collectively press ourselves to determine the role of social media in modern-day activism. Is it to educate and change the opposition’s mind? That may be so but surely there are more precise tools in our arsenal that we can use, in conjunction with social media, to allow for a more nuanced dialogue. Perhaps, it is to signal support to a friend or marginalized group. And even so, wouldn’t a text, a private donation, or a conversation, allow for greater impact? It’s become clear that social media is an effective tool but shouldn’t be the only tool we are using to engage politically. We must regard social media as only part of a comprehensive toolkit for social justice.
Meanwhile, here’s where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine:
As usual, pointing you to the journalists out there who are covering this in-depth (have taken on a LOT of your suggestions, so thank you!)
A big Google Doc full of links, books, podcasts, and helpful history
A piece I read and loved: to bear witness
Explanations Are Not Excuses (Intelligencer)
(If you have other sources you’d like to see covered here, I’m only an email away!)
How we can help!
Social media is currently awash with misinformation so I wanted to make sure that any info I passed on to you about places we could donate were safe, legitimate and effective.
This a list that has been compiled by CharityWatch, who’ve listed “legitimate, efficient, and accountable charities involved in efforts to aid and assist the people of Israel – Palestine during active conflict in the region.”
This is another list from Charity Navigator which includes only “organizations that are at least three years old, show a three-or four-star rating and have a track record of positive results in their region, among other requirements.”
And something a little bit lighter that I wrote for Culture Vulture that I hope makes you smile <3
PS: SYSCA bestie 🏀Slam Dunc🏀 has picked up his quill for a weekly newsy giving you recs and musings on TV, movies and podcasts!! If you’ve missed him in ur life check it out here!!!!
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xx
So sorry people have been treating you badly Luce :( It's not on your shoulders to resolve global conflict, we're all doing the best we can
I have a bookstagram account (I barely post these days because working full time makes it so hard to keep up) but over the years I would see so many people who read like 200+ books a year and I just do not understand how people are happy living like that. Like there is not enough time to actually take in what you're reading if you're working and reading that many books a year, and it seems like people are doing it just to say look at me i read a lot vs actually absorbing and enjoying what they're reading. And that's just fiction, no where near the same issue when it comes to how people are reading the news.