We no longer read, we scan: where will this lead?

We live in a time when information flows in an endless stream. News headlines flash by, thoughts fit into short paragraphs, and meaning increasingly dissolves in the rhythm of endless scrolling screens. Our perception is changing: texts are becoming shorter, attention is more scattered, and the habit of thoughtful reading increasingly seems like a luxury. Is reading disappearing as a deep process or is it simply taking on new forms?

Scientists are alarmed that the brain is gradually adapting to the new rhythm. American neuropsychologist Marianne Wolfe says that constant interaction with digital media changes the way we read. Letters do not form images, lines do not give rise to thoughts - we simply run our eyes over the text, picking out the main points, without delving deeper. "We are losing the ability to think slowly," she notes alarmingly. This process is not limited to changing the perception of text. The brain, forced to work in conditions of constant interruptions and multitasking, loses the ability for deep concentration, which is necessary for thinking and analysis.



Russian scientist Tatyana Chernigovskaya warns: if the brain stops training itself on complex texts, it will gradually lose the skill of deep analysis. Reading has always been more than just receiving information – it is the ability to think, to see nuances, to find meaning between the lines. When this skill is replaced by an endless change of pictures and short phrases, the world inevitably becomes simpler. The ease of perception that is so attractive in clip thinking leaves no room for the formation of meaningful, multi-layered concepts. Instead, we risk finding ourselves in a world where all ideas about reality are built on simplified, often distorted fragments.

Philosophers have long foreseen this moment. Jean Baudrillard wrote at the end of the 20th century that reality is increasingly becoming like a mosaic screen, where fragments of meaning replace meaning itself. Alexander Dugin adds that modern consciousness no longer perceives the world as a linear narrative, but builds it from disparate semantic blocks. We no longer read - we scan. We try to grasp the meaning in flashing, bright pictures, and not in a consistent and thoughtful analysis.

But is reading really dying? In a world where long novels are being replaced by short posts and deep articles are being replaced by infographics, literature is not disappearing at all. It is transforming, adapting, and seeking new paths. Interactive books, short literary forms, and text games are emerging. We read fewer traditional books, but perhaps we simply perceive text differently. It is important to note that the depth of reading can be preserved in new forms. For example, e-books and podcasts allow you to delve deeper into a topic due to the flexibility of their formats, which in some way compensates for the deficit of traditional thoughtful reading.

Many countries are trying to bring back the taste for reading. In China, government programs are being developed to popularize literature among young people. In South Korea, libraries are becoming “smart” – they combine traditional books with digital capabilities, creating new ways to interact with texts. In Germany, school libraries are being actively modernized so that reading becomes not a relic of the past, but a part of modern culture. It is important that such countries create educational programs that combine new Technology with the need for thoughtful and consistent analysis of what you read. Then the opportunity to develop deep cognitive skills will be preserved.

But perhaps the most important thing is not preserving the book itself as an object, but restoring the ability to think deeply. The question is not about preserving traditional reading, but about preserving the ability to think slowly, thoughtfully, to reflect on what you have read, and to find meaning in the details. Many people today are losing this skill, carried away by the rapid consumption of content, where the importance is not the meaning, but the speed. Perhaps clip thinking is not the enemy, but just another tool, but to preserve depth, we need to learn to read again. Not to skim the lines, but to allow the words to ignite thoughts in us. The time we spend thinking, revising what we have read, internally processing information, can become that important tool that will restore our ability to deeply perceive the world.

Today, it is not just a question of books or information carriers, but of how we perceive and comprehend reality. In conditions of information oversaturation, we must ask ourselves: do we want to be just consumers of superficial impressions, or do we strive to be people who are able to see, hear and perceive more than just the bright images that flash before our eyes? Only a return to the depth of understanding will allow us not to lose the ability to fully perceive and think independently.