Why nobody can read anymore
Feb 27, 2026
5min read
<h1>Why Nobody Can Read Anymore (and Why It Matters in 2026)</h1>
It’s 2026, and if you are actually reading these words instead of having an AI voice-over play them directly into your ears, you are already in the minority. Over the last couple of years, the way we consume information has changed faster than anyone expected. We’ve moved from scrolling through feeds to living in a world of 'Neuro-Blips' and instant summaries. Today, the act of sitting down and reading a full page of text feels like a marathon for most people.
So, what happened? Why did we lose our ability to focus on the written word? It wasn’t just one thing; it was a perfect storm of new technology and shifting habits.
## The Rise of the 'Summary Culture'
By now, almost everyone has a personal AI assistant that lives in their glasses or phone. Why would you spend twenty minutes reading a news article when your AI can give you the three most important points in five seconds? We’ve become a society of skimmers. We get the 'vibe' of a story, but we miss all the details. In schools, students are now being taught how to prompt an AI to explain a book rather than reading the book itself. This makes life easier, but it’s making our brains lazy.
## The Death of the Deep Focus
Our attention spans didn't just shrink—they were rewired. With 6G speeds and hyper-personalized video content that reacts to our biological signals, the competition for our eyes is fierce. A book or a long blog post can’t vibrate, change colors, or react to your heart rate. Compared to the high-speed digital world of 2026, reading feels slow. Because it’s slow, our brains interpret it as boring. We’ve lost the 'muscle memory' required to stay focused on a single idea for more than a minute.
## Reading as a 'Vintage' Hobby
Much like how people started buying vinyl records again, reading has become a bit of a niche hobby. It’s something people do for the 'aesthetic.' You see influencers posting photos with physical books in cafes, but rarely do they actually turn the pages. When reading becomes a trend instead of a fundamental skill, we lose the ability to think critically. When you only read summaries, you are letting an algorithm decide what is important for you to know.
## Why We Need to Fight Back
If we stop reading, we stop practicing deep thought. Reading forces you to build images in your mind and follow complex arguments. It’s a workout for your brain that no AI summary can replace. As we move further into 2026, the people who still have the patience to read will be the ones who hold the most power. They will be the ones who can think for themselves instead of just repeating what an AI told them.
If you want to keep your mind sharp, try a 'digital fast' this weekend. Pick up a book—a real one, with paper pages—and see if you can make it through ten pages without checking your notifications. It might be harder than you think, but it’s the most important skill you can practice this year.
It’s 2026, and if you are actually reading these words instead of having an AI voice-over play them directly into your ears, you are already in the minority. Over the last couple of years, the way we consume information has changed faster than anyone expected. We’ve moved from scrolling through feeds to living in a world of 'Neuro-Blips' and instant summaries. Today, the act of sitting down and reading a full page of text feels like a marathon for most people.
So, what happened? Why did we lose our ability to focus on the written word? It wasn’t just one thing; it was a perfect storm of new technology and shifting habits.
## The Rise of the 'Summary Culture'
By now, almost everyone has a personal AI assistant that lives in their glasses or phone. Why would you spend twenty minutes reading a news article when your AI can give you the three most important points in five seconds? We’ve become a society of skimmers. We get the 'vibe' of a story, but we miss all the details. In schools, students are now being taught how to prompt an AI to explain a book rather than reading the book itself. This makes life easier, but it’s making our brains lazy.
## The Death of the Deep Focus
Our attention spans didn't just shrink—they were rewired. With 6G speeds and hyper-personalized video content that reacts to our biological signals, the competition for our eyes is fierce. A book or a long blog post can’t vibrate, change colors, or react to your heart rate. Compared to the high-speed digital world of 2026, reading feels slow. Because it’s slow, our brains interpret it as boring. We’ve lost the 'muscle memory' required to stay focused on a single idea for more than a minute.
## Reading as a 'Vintage' Hobby
Much like how people started buying vinyl records again, reading has become a bit of a niche hobby. It’s something people do for the 'aesthetic.' You see influencers posting photos with physical books in cafes, but rarely do they actually turn the pages. When reading becomes a trend instead of a fundamental skill, we lose the ability to think critically. When you only read summaries, you are letting an algorithm decide what is important for you to know.
## Why We Need to Fight Back
If we stop reading, we stop practicing deep thought. Reading forces you to build images in your mind and follow complex arguments. It’s a workout for your brain that no AI summary can replace. As we move further into 2026, the people who still have the patience to read will be the ones who hold the most power. They will be the ones who can think for themselves instead of just repeating what an AI told them.
If you want to keep your mind sharp, try a 'digital fast' this weekend. Pick up a book—a real one, with paper pages—and see if you can make it through ten pages without checking your notifications. It might be harder than you think, but it’s the most important skill you can practice this year.
