Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound

submitted by Drewski from theguardian.com

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[–]FormosaOolong 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (3 children)

I really had to resist the urge to skim :/ I've noticed over the years my attention span for reading simply tank. It's unfortunate.

[–]Drewski[S] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Yeah, I've been reading The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr and it's really hit home for me. I am trying to read more books & long articles and limiting my social media use to increase my attention span.

[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Worse further, is that it applies to all media. People don't give their 100% attention to movies anymore, where one there was a time.

Granted there's no shortage of reasons why Hollywood isn't producing excellent riveting content, but mass media is now portable and often just on the side while multitasking.

One the plus side, for the most part, the quality content tends to rise and be noticed, though often not as much as it could without distracting competing corporate noise.

[–]Myrkskog 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Do you notice a difference when you're holding a book in front of you compared to reading on a screen? I read (book) every night before bed, but struggle to make it through an article online without bounding through it out of impatience or disinterest.

[–]DrPVM 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (3 children)

I didn't even skim that, I didn't read it at all. From the Guardian? Probably blames the patriarchy or white fellas somewhere further down. A non story by non people, verbiage, fluff, middle-class intellectual horseshit.

[–]bobbobbybob 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

i skimmed it for you.

a jab at brexit: "and the deliberately confusing public referendum questions citizens encounter in the voting booth." (the author attempting to rationalise away their loss)

a jab at popularism and trump: "incentivizes a retreat to the most familiar silos of unchecked information, which require and receive no analysis, leaving us susceptible to false information and demagoguery."

but other than that remarkably restrained for a verbiage riddled guardian piece

[–]Myrkskog 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Same here. If I see a Guardian link, I'll scroll right past.

[–]bobbobbybob 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

bingo.

[–]bobbobbybob 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I find that people use too many words to try and make them come across as <something>. And I can't be fucked with that ego BS any more. I'll read interesting things, but 90% of the written word is fluff, filler. pointless.

Information is key in this world.

not tall tales, self justification and self aggrandizement.

When an article starts to be more about the writer and their projections onto the subject, unless they are captivating, they are a waste of limited time.

too much un-moderated content.

a million monkeys might write shakespeare, but they hide it in a mountain of dross

[–]magnora7 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well most "journalists" are paid by the word, basically. They are paid to produce content regularly, so they do, even if most of it is fluff.

Unlike me, for example, where I only write an article when I have something to say, and sometimes I might go months without writing anything because I have nothing to say. An employed journalist doesn't have that luxury, so they end up producing noise that drowns out the signal, because they're required to as terms of their employment.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

TLDR

[–]beermeem 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Skim reading? Most people who post on the internet don't even RTFL.

[–]bobbobbybob 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

L? i know M

[–]beermeem 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

You don't know shit.