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Is the 'Death of Reading' Narrative Wrong?

Has the rise of hyper-addictive digital technologies really shattered our attention spans and driven books out of our culture? Maybe not, argues social psychologist Adam Mastroianni (author of the Substack Experimental History):


As a psychologist, I used to study claims like these for a living, so I know that the mind is primed to believe narratives of decline. We have a much lower standard of evidence for "bad thing go up" than we do for "bad thing go down." Unsurprisingly, then, stories about the end of reading tend to leave out some inconvenient data points. For example, book sales were higher in 2025 than they were in 2019, and only a bit below their high point in the pandemic. Independent bookstores are booming, not busting; at least 422 new indie shops opened in the United States last year alone. Even Barnes & Noble is cool again.

The actual data on reading, meanwhile, isn't as apocalyptic as the headlines imply. Gallup surveys suggest that some mega-readers (11+ books per year) have become moderate readers (1-5 books per year), but they don't find any other major trends over the past three decades. Other surveys document similarly moderate declines. For instance, data from the National Endowment for the Arts finds a slight decrease in the percentage of U.S. adults who read any book in 2022 (49%) compared to 2012 (55%). And the American Time Use Survey shows a dip in reading time from 2003 to 2023. Ultimately, the plausibility of the "death of reading" thesis depends on two judgment calls. First, do these effects strike you as big or small...? The second judgment call: Do you expect these trends to continue, plateau, or even reverse...?

There are signs that the digital invasion of our attention is beginning to stall. We seem to have passed peak social media — time spent on the apps has started to slide. App developers are finding it harder and harder to squeeze more attention out of our eyeballs, and it turns out that having your eyeballs squeezed hurts, so people aren't sticking around for it... Fact #2: Reading has already survived several major incursions, which suggests it's more appealing than we thought. Radio, TV, dial-up, Wi-Fi, TikTok — none of it has been enough to snuff out the human desire to point our pupils at words on paper... It is remarkable, even miraculous, that people who possess the most addictive devices ever invented will occasionally choose to turn those devices off and pick up a book instead.

The authors mocks the "death of reading" hypothesis for implying that all the world's avid readers "were just filling time with great works of literature until TikTok came along."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

14631 DSC_0004 The subtle colours from the dawn light

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14631 DSC_0004 The subtle colours from the dawn light

14629 DSC_0002 Vivid Dawn

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14629 DSC_0002 Vivid Dawn

14630 DSC_0003 The dawn light spreads

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14630 DSC_0003 The dawn light spreads

Govetts Leap under Clouds 3

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Govetts Leap under Clouds 3

At Govetts Leap lookout on a cloudy evening. In Blackheath, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.

High & Dry

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High & Dry

Abandoned(?) kayak, Coodanup, WA

Washed Up

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Washed Up

Kayak st the high water line, Coodanup WA

The Sights and Sounds of Makena Nights

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The Sights and Sounds of Makena Nights

Sun N Sand Motor Hotel, Jackson, Mississippi

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Sun N Sand Motor Hotel, Jackson, Mississippi

Apple Pride, SF Pride 2015

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Apple Pride, SF Pride 2015

This is How You Make Yourself Vanish Into Nothing

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This is How You Make Yourself Vanish Into Nothing

Chavez

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Chavez

Ginza, February 2026.

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Ginza, February 2026.

Ginza, February 2026.

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Ginza, February 2026.

The Guardian

Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

‘Sea puppy pancakes’: what it’s like to pat a 300kg wild stingray

Visitors to a site near Gisborne in New Zealand’s North Island get to interact with the animals in their habitat and learn about their importance to Māori culture

In a shallow reef close to New Zealand’s east coast shore, a group of 30 people wearing khaki overalls and boots huddle together like a crescent moon, waiting for the stars of the show to arrive.

They don’t have to wait long.

Continue reading...

UK’s ‘unsung army’ of full-time unpaid carers needs more support, report says

Resolution Foundation finds one in three carers from poorer families unable to work because of responsibilities

A growing “unsung army” of 1 million people with full-time caring responsibilities needs better support, according to a report that found one in three unpaid carers from poorer backgrounds were unable to work because of their duties.

The trend is the result of an ageing society and rising ill-health and disability concentrated in the poorest half of the country’s working-age families, the Resolution Foundation’s research found.

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Minneapolis protesters arrested during one-month anniversary of Renee Good’s death

Several demonstrators taken into custody Saturday after marking killing of Minnesota woman by immigration officer

Police arrested several demonstrators Saturday outside a federal building just south of Minneapolis, breaking up a protest marking the one-month anniversary of a Minnesota woman’s death at the hands of an immigration officer.

Renee Good was killed on 7 January as she was driving away from immigration officers in a Minneapolis neighborhood. Her death and the killing of another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, just weeks later have stoked outrage nationwide over Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Continue reading...

‘No end in sight’ to Britain’s wet weather as dozens of flood warnings issued

Met Office forecasts more rainfall to continue UK’s 37-day run, and flooding expected especially in south-west England and Midlands

The unrelenting rain is expected to continue on Sunday and into next week with dozens of flood warnings in place across Great Britain.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 85 warnings for England, meaning flooding is expected, mainly concentrated in the south-west and Midlands.

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Rotterdam - FediMeteo (@rotterdam@nl.fedimeteo.com)

Weer voor de stad Rotterdam Deze bot wordt beheerd door het FediMeteo-project. Voor informatie en contact kunt u de pagina https://fedimeteo.com raadplegen.

Weer voor Rotterdam ☁️ Huidige temperatuur (...

Weer voor Rotterdam ☁️

Huidige temperatuur (om 01:15): 7.3°C (Bewolkt)
Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↖ 155°

Luchtkwaliteit:
  • AQI: 42 🟢 (Goed)
  • PM2.5: 10.9 μg/m³
  • PM10: 13.7 μg/m³

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

  • zondag 08 februari: Min 5.6°, Max 11.5° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 4%, Windsnelheid: 15.1 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ↖ 134°
  • maandag 09 februari: Min 2.2°, Max 8.3° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 119°
  • dinsdag 10 februari: Min 4.0°, Max 9.4° (Lichte regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 2.0, Kans op neerslag 33%, Windsnelheid: 18.3 km/u (5.1 m/s), richting: ↖ 157°
  • woensdag 11 februari: Min 7.5°, Max 10.8° (Lichte regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 4.9, Kans op neerslag 60%, Windsnelheid: 24.2 km/u (6.7 m/s), richting: ↗ 226°
  • donderdag 12 februari: Min 4.8°, Max 8.1° (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 5.7, Kans op neerslag 48%, Windsnelheid: 21.3 km/u (5.9 m/s), richting: → 261°
  • vrijdag 13 februari: Min 2.2°, Max 4.7° (Lichte sneeuw) ❄️, Neerslag 0.8, Kans op neerslag 47%, Windsnelheid: 14.8 km/u (4.1 m/s), richting: ↘ 301°
  • zaterdag 14 februari: Min 1.6°, Max 2.9° (Matige sneeuw) ❄️, Neerslag 9.5, Kans op neerslag 35%, Windsnelheid: 17.7 km/u (4.9 m/s), richting: ↘ 299°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

  • 02:00: 6.8° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 25%, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↖ 150°
  • 03:00: 6.4° (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 15%, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ↖ 151°
  • 04:00: 6.2° (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 8%, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↑ 158°
  • 05:00: 6.0° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 4%, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↑ 161°
  • 06:00: 5.8° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, Windsnelheid: 10.1 km/u (2.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 151°
  • 07:00: 5.6° (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Windsnelheid: 11.5 km/u (3.2 m/s), richting: ↖ 148°
  • 08:00: 5.7° (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↖ 152°
  • 09:00: 5.8° (Zonnig) ☀️, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↖ 152°
  • 10:00: 6.7° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ↑ 168°
  • 11:00: 7.8° (Bewolkt) ☁️, Windsnelheid: 7.6 km/u (2.1 m/s), richting: ↖ 144°
  • 12:00: 9.2° (Zonnig) ☀️, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ↖ 131°
  • 13:00: 10.2° (Zonnig) ☀️, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↖ 145°
Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo



Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Dance-event in Rotterdam tijdelijk ontruimd na incident

ROTTERDAM (ANP) - Een dance-evenement in de Van Nellefabriek in Rotterdam is zaterdagavond tijdelijk stilgelegd na een incident waarbij mogelijk een irriterende stof is verspreid. Bezoekers kregen last van hun ogen en ademhaling, waarna het pand uit voorzorg werd ontruimd. Nadat de brandweer het gebouw had geventileerd, kon het evenement worden hervat.

Het incident gebeurde tijdens een optreden van de Australische dj Haai op het evenement Audio Obscura. De politie bevestigt dat er een melding is geweest van een stof die op traangas leek, maar metingen van de brandweer konden dat niet bevestigen, zegt een woordvoerder van de veiligheidsregio.

Ongeveer een half uur na het incident kon het publiek weer naar binnen. De organisatie zegt op Instagram dat de vermoedelijke veroorzaker is verwijderd. De politie heeft niemand aangehouden.