By Maya Shih, Contributor
The average Gen Z teen spends nine hours a day staring at screens, which is more than the time they spend sleeping (seven to eight hours) (Marriott). If that sounds troubling, that’s because it is. However, it’s just one of many warning signs of an imminent post-literate society… and the apocalypse that will come with it.
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So, what even is a “post-literate society,” and why should you be worried about it?
“Literacy” encompasses all the skills you need to read and write well. By extension, this includes the skills you need to solve problems, think critically, form and comprehend arguments, and make informed decisions. A post-literate society is one where most of the population lacks these essential skills. And it’s where we’re headed right now.
Since the rise of the smartphone in the early 2010s, we’ve seen a clear shift away from long-form content (like books, news articles, and full-length videos) in favor of short-form content (like TikToks, YouTube shorts, and Instagram reels). Not only is the number of students who read for pleasure in decline, but even school curricula have moved away from teaching full books and towards teaching excerpts, poems, and short passages (Horowitch). Even more alarmingly, research has revealed a decline in international IQ scores, particularly in developed countries (Harrington). And, as our attention spans dwindle, so do our analytical and critical thinking skills.
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Though some might write it off as laziness, it’s not all our fault that we’re so addicted to our devices and reliant on technology. After all, social media apps are purposely designed to steal our attention for as long as possible, and human brains are evolutionarily wired to take shortcuts (McBain). However, there are certain cognitive skills that you just can’t obtain without reading and writing. By using technology to cut corners, we are losing these benefits.
A study by MIT research scientist Natalia Kosmyna found that participants who used ChatGPT to help write essays “showed significantly less activity in the brain networks associated with cognitive processing, attention, and creativity” (McBain). Kosmyna points out that “writing an essay requires skills that are important in our wider lives: the ability to synthesize information, consider competing perspectives, and construct an argument” (McBain). So while you probably won’t be analyzing Shakespeare in your everyday life, you’ll absolutely need the skills that only long-form reading and writing can cultivate.
But why should students spend the time to read whole books when convenient, paragraph-long SparkNotes summaries are just a click away? Long-form reading has been proven to improve your capacity for memory, attention, deep thought, and linear reasoning (Marriott). Reading a full book allows you to make connections, identify patterns, and keep track of a broader narrative—things you simply can’t do from reading summaries or excerpts. Books also cultivate empathy by transporting you into the minds of characters who come from extremely different times, places, and backgrounds than you.
So when we ask AI to summarize a book or choose a sixty-second soundbite over a news article, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to build important cognitive skills.
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Why does maintaining those skills matter? Because on a larger scale, literacy isn’t just a cognitive (or academic) necessity. It’s a democratic necessity.
America is already deeply divided, and short-form content only exacerbates this. Unlike books or articles, social media videos can appeal to people’s emotions (like anger, disgust, or sadness) rather than to logical thinking. They can easily bypass logical argument via charismatic speakers, emotional music, deepfakes, and misinformation (Marriott). Heavily tailored social media feeds, combined with a widespread lack of critical thinking, attention span, and empathy, are the recipe for extreme political polarization. A post-literate society will be “more tribal, less rational, [and] largely uninterested in facts or even matters of historical record” (Harrington). Without literacy, we will be stuck in an infinite gridlock of sides that are unwilling to compromise or even entertain other ideas. Civil discourse between political parties, or even between two people with opposing ideas, will become impossible.
An effective democracy requires an electorate with skills like critical thinking, logical reasoning, and empathy to make informed decisions about who they want to represent them and what policies will benefit them. Literacy skills are crucial for citizens to research and understand complex policies, question the status quo, innovate new ideas, and push back against their leaders. Tyrannical leaders thrive in a country that is susceptible to ignorance, anger, and polarization, benefiting from a society that won’t even be able to recognize oppression in the first place.
You might have thought my use of the word “apocalypse” was a clickbaity exaggeration. Unfortunately, it’s not. This isn’t some far-off doomsday. We are living in the dawn of the post-literate society right now. When we completely lose the ability to understand the policies we are supposed to vote for, when political parties refuse to compromise, when tyrants are allowed to thrive under a submissive populace… that is when democracy dies. That is when society crumbles. That is the post-literate apocalypse.
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The consequences of a post-literate society are scary. But although it seems that tech companies won’t regulate themselves, and neither will our politicians, the good news is this: you and I have the power to escape the post-literate apocalypse.
Large-scale change starts with taking the first small step. In the next month, I challenge you to try one or all of the following:
- Read a book for fun, outside of English class. Re-train your brain to read and interpret long-form content. It won’t just expand your vocabulary; it will also expand your attention span, critical thinking skills, and empathy.
- Delete the social media app you’re most addicted to. Or, start smaller by setting screen time limits on certain apps or downloading a focus/productivity app. (My favorite is a cozy productivity app called Focus Friend.)
- Consume news through long-form articles instead of short-form videos. Many news sites are heavily biased. Consider multiple sources and opposing viewpoints before forming an opinion. Bonus challenge: engage in a meaningful conversation with someone you disagree with.
- Don’t use AI for any of your school assignments, or for anything at all. Get those cognitive skills back!
Even if they start as a month-long challenge, my hope is that these will turn into lifelong habits.
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Ultimately, your brain needs the challenge of long-form reading and writing to build essential cognitive skills like critical thinking, sustained attention, and empathy. So the next time you are about to type a prompt into ChatGPT or start scrolling on Instagram reels, take a moment to pause. Because if we collectively, consistently make the right choices in those moments, I am certain that we can escape the post-literate apocalypse.
Works Cited
Harrington, Mary. “Thinking Is Becoming a Luxury Good.” The New York Times, 28 July 2025.
Horowitch, Rose. “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” The Atlantic, 1 October 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/.
Marriott, James. “The dawn of the post-literate society – by James Marriott.” Cultural Capital | James Marriott, 18 September 2025, https://jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-of-the-post-literate-society-aa1.
McBain, Sophie. “The dawn of the stupid age.” The Guardian, 21 November 2025.
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