I don’t think I am the only one who set “reading more” as a goal for 2025. A month in, and you realize that you haven’t read a book outside class. The most organic and high-class form of media consumption is nowadays tossed aside for social media apps and short-form videos like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, and for a (somewhat, questionably) good reason. Our attention span sucks.
No, because why have I normalized playing games while playing video essays in the background? It may not seem that bad, but it is a sensory overload I’ve found myself addicted to. Although I am not entirely sucked into this cycle– thankfully (not really; to be honest, I’d rather play games)– professors have had no problem assigning me readings that actually stimulate my brain.Â
Let’s face it, we all become a little nihilistic and emo once we watch a hundred of these short-form videos. The human brain wasn’t meant to handle this much content in this short of time. Let alone content that really doesn’t serve any purpose other than giving us a quick laugh or selling a kinda pointless product. Do you really need that negative ion round brush? Yeah… no (Maybe next year, though).
I had an old acquaintance who dismissed my studies because he believed that reading manga is the same as reading Jane Austen. We’re not friends anymore. But I am a little worried about those who confuse numbing content consumption with critical reading to understand deeper issues regarding ourselves and our place in the world. Manga could be educational, but there is an art to the vague descriptions of details that lets readers determine what the author intends to write about, as opposed to having the visuals blasted in your face, and obviously, most mangas don’t share the same level of intellect as books such as Crime and Punishment and Don Quijote. Not to be pretentious.
So how do we start reading again? Well first, how about you pull out those books from your dusty closet? Yeah, the ones you said you’ll read eventually but ended up “forgetting” about. Those could be a start. You could also visit the library and find some books to borrow- just remember to return them on time. Now, let’s set ten minutes reading a few pages of that book. Ten minutes don’t seem like a lot, but you’ll find yourself squirming and itching for your phone by minute three. Resist the urge. Say you actually hate it, fine, put the book away. If you do end up liking it, hooray, you did it!
Next, you should think about what you like about the book that you normally can’t get from your average TikTok video. For me, I really like the process of combing through the information I’ve read, or becoming starstruck by the author’s vivid writing. I also like how books make me think about things I’ve never considered before- I’ve crafted my algorithm to show things I am well versed in, such as hair products and gaming, which are things that don’t actually test the width of my knowledge. If you want, you could think about what you like about TikTok videos that reading doesn’t give you. Once you do that, ask yourself, “do these things I like about online media matter more to me than what I like about reading?”. If you manage to say yes to that, please entertain me.
It becomes a rinse-and-repeat cycle, but not the mind-numbing vortex that makes you too tired to get out of bed. It’s the one that stretches your brain out and says, “Hey, maybe I do want to learn more about this niche topic.” Now, you’re always welcomed back into the arms of TikTok, but at least now, you can fulfill your New Year’s resolution without dread.