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This is the definition of clickbait. "I've forgotten how to read" does not mean "I feel like my reading habits have changed" or "I can not defend myself from t

by gkya 9y ago

This is the definition of clickbait. "I've forgotten how to read" does not mean "I feel like my reading habits have changed" or "I can not defend myself from the invasive world of social media and online content". Valid concerns these are, but easily dealt with: reflect on your usage, uninstall the app, delete the account, make a decision and apply it to your life. Nowhere near being unable to read. At this moment writing this comment I'm procrastinating too, but distractions existed since time immemorial. You decide to let them enter your life, you kick them out. An example: on my free days I tend to stay up late and get up late, and when I wake up I tend to check some funny/interesting subreddits, losing lots of time. But knowing also that reddit is very useful at times, I remove the app from the phone, and restrict the subs I'm subscribed to to ones that are useful. I see that I'm checking my email too much on my phone when I'm bored, I remove the mail app for some days. All notifications except calls are silenced on my phone. I don't use any social media, except Reddit and HN, if we count them as such (reddit is definitely trying to be, which is annoying, but you can have your niche still). These are my solutions. Each and every life has many problems, and we try to fix them. Introspect, reflect, decide, do. No shortcuts there.

wavefunction 9y ago
I don't agree that it's clickbait. It's simply a title with two potential meanings. Perhaps you have forgotten how to read much as the author of this piece claims they themselves did. Perhaps I have as well, when I reflect upon the magic of human language.
bradenb 9y ago
You are right, of course. But I think it's disingenuous to call all hyperbole clickbait.
coldtea 9y ago
>This is the definition of clickbait. "I've forgotten how to read" does not mean "I feel like my reading habits have changed" or "I can not defend myself from the invasive world of social media and online content". First, I think you confuse "clickbait" with creative title. Articles are not meant to have literal titles, and they have had metaphorical or poetic or puns or otherwise creative titles since before there were clicks to "bait for" -- including articles that were deep inside some magazine and not mentioned on the cover to attract attention. Writers and editors simply like to be creative like that. Second, there's nothing wrong with this title. The situation they describe can very correctly be summed as "I forgot how to read" -- or even expanded to "we forgotten how to read". Forgetting how doesn't mean "being unable to" -- it just means forgetting how to read properly, or if you want, the "old way". Heck, even a title like "I can't read anymore" would have been quite apt to describe such a situation. One would have to presume a very simplistic and imaginative audience to feel the need to spell it out more, to the point of the title being a simple literal description "Modern online media consumption has made my reading of books erratic". >Valid concerns these are, but easily dealt with: reflect on your usage, uninstall the app, delete the account, make a decision and apply it to your life That's like saying that we can end obesity easily if people just eat less. Or end violence if we make a decision to be nice to each other. In other words, it takes a complex issue, with many variables, and factors (from the pressures of modern life to changing ways of media consumption) and makes it into some character flaw or lack of discipline issue one can "easily" overcome.
- gkya 9y ago
  Wrt the title, I disagree, there's nothing creative about it. Wrt the rest, I disagree again. Obesity is a disease that you physically have, and you can't decide to not be fat anymore. Violence is a problem of society and you can't decide that the society won't be violent anymore (that even sounds off grammatically). Consuming too much online entertainment or being distracted by social media is nothing like these, you have all the means in the same devices to cure it. I won't dismiss it can become some sort of addiction, but then again, it won't create new receptacles in your brain, not give you diabetes or heart diseases, you won't crave it and hurt people in its absence that a therapy in a dedicated building will be needed. You seem to like hyperboles indeed.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >Obesity is a disease that you physically have, and you can't decide to not be fat anymore. Obesity is a state, not a disease (there are some diseases that can cause obesity, but by and large it's due to diet for most people).
    - gkya 9y ago
      If there's such scientific distinction between a state and a disease, I'd really like to know more. But I can't see how a disease is not just a particular state of being. And if obesity is not a disease, then still, that does not subtract anything from my point in the GP comment.

by gkya 9y ago

wavefunction 9y ago

I don't agree that it's clickbait. It's simply a title with two potential meanings. Perhaps you have forgotten how to read much as the author of this piece claims they themselves did. Perhaps I have as well, when I reflect upon the magic of human language.

bradenb 9y ago

You are right, of course. But I think it's disingenuous to call all hyperbole clickbait.

coldtea 9y ago

>This is the definition of clickbait. "I've forgotten how to read" does not mean "I feel like my reading habits have changed" or "I can not defend myself from the invasive world of social media and online content". First, I think you confuse "clickbait" with creative title. Articles are not meant to have literal titles, and they have had metaphorical or poetic or puns or otherwise creative titles since before there were clicks to "bait for" -- including articles that were deep inside some magazine and not mentioned on the cover to attract attention. Writers and editors simply like to be creative like that. Second, there's nothing wrong with this title. The situation they describe can very correctly be summed as "I forgot how to read" -- or even expanded to "we forgotten how to read". Forgetting how doesn't mean "being unable to" -- it just means forgetting how to read properly, or if you want, the "old way". Heck, even a title like "I can't read anymore" would have been quite apt to describe such a situation. One would have to presume a very simplistic and imaginative audience to feel the need to spell it out more, to the point of the title being a simple literal description "Modern online media consumption has made my reading of books erratic". >Valid concerns these are, but easily dealt with: reflect on your usage, uninstall the app, delete the account, make a decision and apply it to your life That's like saying that we can end obesity easily if people just eat less. Or end violence if we make a decision to be nice to each other. In other words, it takes a complex issue, with many variables, and factors (from the pressures of modern life to changing ways of media consumption) and makes it into some character flaw or lack of discipline issue one can "easily" overcome.

gkya 9y ago
Wrt the title, I disagree, there's nothing creative about it. Wrt the rest, I disagree again. Obesity is a disease that you physically have, and you can't decide to not be fat anymore. Violence is a problem of society and you can't decide that the society won't be violent anymore (that even sounds off grammatically). Consuming too much online entertainment or being distracted by social media is nothing like these, you have all the means in the same devices to cure it. I won't dismiss it can become some sort of addiction, but then again, it won't create new receptacles in your brain, not give you diabetes or heart diseases, you won't crave it and hurt people in its absence that a therapy in a dedicated building will be needed. You seem to like hyperboles indeed.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >Obesity is a disease that you physically have, and you can't decide to not be fat anymore. Obesity is a state, not a disease (there are some diseases that can cause obesity, but by and large it's due to diet for most people).
  - gkya 9y ago
    If there's such scientific distinction between a state and a disease, I'd really like to know more. But I can't see how a disease is not just a particular state of being. And if obesity is not a disease, then still, that does not subtract anything from my point in the GP comment.