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Yes, true, but in the 1800s, literacy rates were extremely low as well. Most people didn't read then either. By the time literacy improved, we already had compe

Yes, true, but in the 1800s, literacy rates were extremely low as well. Most people didn't read then either. By the time literacy improved, we already had competing media like radio, television, etc. But books still won because they were a different form of media. And most "popular" books since the invention of the printing press have usually been garbage, like guides on how to burn witches properly, etc. It wasn't like people were reading Dostoevsky in masses then and don't do it now. It was always a small minority of people that cared about actual literature. I think it's also more about active vrs passive consumption these days. People these days consume media mostly passively (watch whatever is on a streaming service, hear a podcast/audiobook while driving, let AI summarize an article instead of reading it), whereas that wasn't really possible previously (go to a theater to watch a movie, actually read stuff with attention, etc.). So yes, people might be reading less, but I don't think it's some massive fall in literacy as people make it out to be. We're much more busy and don't have time to actually sit down and actively focus on media consumption these days as well (assuming you're employed in a somewhat capitalism-based system).

black_knight 7d ago
> Yes, true, but in the 1800s, literacy rates were extremely low as well. Most people didn't read then either. False, at least from an American or Northern European perspective. In the 1800s reading was an extremely popular activity. Not something restricted to a few. Printing press had been around for ages and the majority of the population read.
- altmanaltman 7d ago
  If by majority of the population, you mean no women, no slaves, then yes, sure. And even from an American or NE perspective, you're still overestimating its popularity. Literacy rates in the 1800s across different regions in Western Europe: https://brewminate.com/the-growth-of-literacy-in-western-europe-from-1500-to-1800/ https://brewminate.com/the-growth-of-literacy-in-western-eur... > According to data compiled by Our World in Data and the World Bank, the literacy rate of the world's population from secondary school age onward was only 12 percent in 1820 - around one person in ten. In 1900, it still barely exceeded 20 percent. From the 1950s on, world literacy began to take off, hitting 42 percent in 1960 and 70 percent in 1983. https://www.weforum.org/stories/education-and-skills/reading-writing-global-literacy-rate-changed/ https://www.weforum.org/stories/education-and-skills/reading...
  - black_knight 7d ago
    As I said. If you look not at the entire world, but say Northern Europe, reading literacy (a different measure from the literacy discussed in many modern sources which includes writing literacy) was almost universal by the late 1800s. For instance, in Sweden, to cherrypick a stat, in 1875 only 1% of military recruits were found unable to read [1]. We really must stop thinking that people of yestertimes where so much inferior to people today. Yes, there were differences between men and women, but this was also starting to change. [1]: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1876/d308 https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1876/d308

black_knight 7d ago

> Yes, true, but in the 1800s, literacy rates were extremely low as well. Most people didn't read then either. False, at least from an American or Northern European perspective. In the 1800s reading was an extremely popular activity. Not something restricted to a few. Printing press had been around for ages and the majority of the population read.

altmanaltman 7d ago
If by majority of the population, you mean no women, no slaves, then yes, sure. And even from an American or NE perspective, you're still overestimating its popularity. Literacy rates in the 1800s across different regions in Western Europe: https://brewminate.com/the-growth-of-literacy-in-western-europe-from-1500-to-1800/ https://brewminate.com/the-growth-of-literacy-in-western-eur... > According to data compiled by Our World in Data and the World Bank, the literacy rate of the world's population from secondary school age onward was only 12 percent in 1820 - around one person in ten. In 1900, it still barely exceeded 20 percent. From the 1950s on, world literacy began to take off, hitting 42 percent in 1960 and 70 percent in 1983. https://www.weforum.org/stories/education-and-skills/reading-writing-global-literacy-rate-changed/ https://www.weforum.org/stories/education-and-skills/reading...
- black_knight 7d ago
  As I said. If you look not at the entire world, but say Northern Europe, reading literacy (a different measure from the literacy discussed in many modern sources which includes writing literacy) was almost universal by the late 1800s. For instance, in Sweden, to cherrypick a stat, in 1875 only 1% of military recruits were found unable to read [1]. We really must stop thinking that people of yestertimes where so much inferior to people today. Yes, there were differences between men and women, but this was also starting to change. [1]: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1876/d308 https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1876/d308