Andrey Mir argues that writing and long‑form reading train attention, abstraction, and inward reflection that detach us from situational group pressures. In today’s 'digital orality,' only sustained reading reliably counteracts tribal cues amplified by feeds and video. He implies that education and media habits should restore long reading as a civic antidote to polarization.
— If long reading uniquely reduces tribalism, institutions should prioritize long‑form literacy to rebuild shared reasoning in a polarized, screen‑driven culture.
msmash
2025.10.03
82% relevant
The column argues reading is in steep decline and blames smartphones, echoing the existing thesis that long‑form reading trains attention and reduces tribalism; the article’s 'post‑literate' framing and cited drops in reading among U.S. and UK adults and children reinforce the concern that the loss of long reading erodes rational, cooperative public life.
Arnold Kling
2025.09.28
100% relevant
Kling cites Mir: 'long reading is the only detribalizing technology known in a society slouching toward digital orality.'
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