Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What happens when we read less? What does that do to our ability to understand complex ideas, or even think for ourselves?
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In today’s episode, guest host Jonquilyn Hill speaks with Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch. In her recent cover story, Rose argues that we are entering a postliterate age. Although we’re surrounded by text — like emails, text messages, and notifications — we no longer have an interest in reading longer, book-length content.
Jonquilyn and Rose discuss how the digital age has transformed the way we consume information, what deep reading teaches us that scrolling can't, and how being postliterate is changing our politics and culture.
00:00 Intro
04:05 A literacy crisis vs postliteracy
06:39 Why books are different from social media
13:24 The impact of postliteracy on students
26:53 Donald Trump is the first postliterate president
33:20 Print vs digital media
39:04 Deep reading vs the endless scroll
48:27 Could a postliterate society actually be better informed?
Host: Jonquilyn Hill, host of Explain It To Me
Guest: Rose Horowitch, staff writer for The Atlantic
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
What happens when we read less? What does that do to our ability to understand complex ideas, or even think for ourselves?
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
In today’s episode, guest host Jonquilyn Hill speaks with Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch. In her recent cover story, Rose argues that we are entering a postliterate age. Although we’re surrounded by text — like emails, text messages, and notifications — we no longer have an interest in reading longer, book-length content.
Jonquilyn and Rose discuss how the digital age has transformed the way we consume information, what deep reading teaches us that scrolling can't, and how being postliterate is changing our politics and culture.
00:00 Intro
04:05 A literacy crisis vs postliteracy
06:39 Why books are different from social media
13:24 The impact of postliteracy on students
26:53 Donald Trump is the first postliterate president
33:20 Print vs digital media
39:04 Deep reading vs the endless scroll
48:27 Could a postliterate society actually be better informed?
Host: Jonquilyn Hill, host of Explain It To Me
Guest: Rose Horowitch, staff writer for The Atlantic
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
