A big-name influencer with 15 million social media followers says, “I’ve never read a book. Like, maybe Dr. Seuss?” What does this mean for young people who grew up in a divisive world and are easily persuaded by online rhetoric? Echo chambers bombard our feeds with the same content, creating a cycle that reconfirms our existing beliefs and limits critical thinking. Reading literature encourages analytical reasoning, forcing people to think instead of scrolling passively. According to the National Literacy Institute, only 44% of U.S. adults read above a sixth-grade level, a 4% decrease from 2017 statistics. This means that fewer than half of U.S. adults have strong reading abilities.
TikTok launched just under a decade ago, and Instagram introduced Reels four years later. Since then, short-form content has taken over our leisure time. Instead of diving into a new world through a book, we immerse ourselves in a world of memes, trends, cooking videos, dog videos, and dance routines. We become more obsessed with getting a quick laugh than engaging in a calming activity like reading. Parasocial relationships are becoming increasingly common among younger generations, making online personalities feel like close friends and potentially making people more susceptible to their influence.
Alix Earle is a strategic online persona who promotes a party-filled, glamorous, wealthy, and carefree lifestyle that many cannot attain but deeply desire. Her detached personality entices people to keep trying to shape their own lives to resemble hers because she just “looks” like she’s having so much fun. The concerning part is that many people in her fan base relate to her lack of reading habits. Much of what Alix Earle experiences may be unfamiliar to the average person, so when viewers find something they can relate to, they might feel more comfortable embracing that behavior. People have already moved away from reading physical books since the emergence of portable screen devices, but as popular influencers begin voicing their poor reading habits, the problem could get worse.
We can’t control what an influencer says, nor should we look to them for life advice. However, we can control our attitudes toward these so-called influencers and question what they’re promoting beneath their polished marketing strategies. Although Alix Earle is successful on social media and television, she is not a teacher and does not have the responsibility of providing her viewers with a reading syllabus. As individuals, we have the responsibility to distance ourselves from influences that can have negative effects.
Views mean money for influencers, but what do we get out of it? Instead, opt for a book that teaches you something new, inspires introspection and expands your perspective beyond boundaries you didn’t know existed. Visit your local library and immerse yourself in literature. Be curious, argumentative, reflective, and inspiring in your own life, and above all, pursue your own ambitions.