The Perils of Hyper-Literacy

Attention dilemmas focus on the dramatic loss of the ability to concentrate. A post-literate society does not erase literacy; it replaces extended, legible text with short-form video as the default medium of everyday life. General literacy remains historically high. Attention – especially the kind needed to interpret inky marks on a page and turn them into meaning – has become central to debates about the character of a literate public and what might be lost if that character disappears. One way to counter this sense of loss is to consider the costs of literacy to personality and the behavioural patterns that excessive literacy can amplify.