Perhaps a better framing is "What is the relative importance of being able to read and write for transmitting/receiving factual information vs emotional persuas

Perhaps a better framing is "What is the relative importance of being able to read and write for transmitting/receiving factual information vs emotional persuasion, these days?" and "What is the relative importance of being able to use those methods to transmit a message, vs media literacy on the receiving side, in understanding how and when something is trying to persuade us, and what tactics are being used?" (and ultimately if you keep digging into that, you ask "What is the ultimate purpose of an education, what specific skills will be needed in the daily life of the recipient?" which is a better to way to ask about how people survive. I don't see that the assumptions or reality are necessarily shared or basic.) One example is consumption of US Presidential debates of the radio era (1948-1960) vs TV vs social-media (2000s-) (when most people don't watch the full thing, they consume it via clips or soundbites, often distilled or reduxed by third-parties like media outlets, bloggers, highlights reels etc., which is handing over the power of framing and narrative to outlets who mightn't be either neutral or trustworthy). Like how the 2004 Democratic campaign of Howard Dean [0] was reduced (by many media outlets) to a soundbite which had zero to do with healthcare or fiscal policy. (Ok separately, shelve the a wider George-Carlin-type debate about whether political discourse is being dumbed down, by whom and to what ends). Or a non-political example: if you want to figure out what's a good new-release movie/show to watch, do you read(/watch) individual critic reviews? professional vs amateur critics? or in the old days, just rely on Ebert/Roeper/Siskel? imdb? RottenTomatoes (pre-2016 Comcast-Fandango takeover? or post-2016?) Twitter? or poll five of your friends? Or: what proportion of people can figure out north/south/east/west or navigate without a smartphone, only a map, signs and recognition points? It could plausibly be argued that navigating in general isn't as important as it used to be (unless you're in remote, unknown or hostile territory or don't have reliable phone charge or radio/satellite reception). Which depends largely on where you live and your occupation. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean_2004_presidential_campaign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean_2004_presidential_...