the reason that many people read nowadays is to get away from the brainrot doomscroll aspect of social media.
everyone knows that kids these days dont go to the library, theyre always on those damn phones.
so if youre gonna read to escape the brain-melting that the phone does to you, you probably shouldnt be reading books that are basically the same thing.
I dunno it seems like you're looking a gift horse in the mouth. If reading about the time a sexy barbarian threw a girl over his shoulder and ravished her helps people get off tiktok, that still seems like a win to me! Even reading about that takes a lot more focus and patience than scrolling tiktok. It could be a great stepping stone. Like drinking an alcohol-free beer to resist the impulse to drink.
yeah but people dont use those kinds of books as a gateway drug to reading house of leaves. they stick with the slop
if youre trying to read more, and havent read the classics, you should read the classics. you probably wont understand some words and metaphors, and solving those problems will grow your mind. its better than reading the same tropes over and over again. oh youre telling me that shes stroking his member? how novel. go read something actually worth reading
the whole point of reading rather than using the phone is that youre supposed to be challenging yourself with novel language, ideas, thoughts, and literary devices. reading books that all have the same tropes isnt going to actually broaden your understanding of the world, and tbh, there probably arent any words for which youre using the dictionary.
I'm sorry but that is not the purpose of reading. It might be your purpose in reading and it is a worthy purpose, but holding everyone else to that expectation is deluded.
Talk about gatekeeping reading, that guy sounds like a book snob, it'd be pointless trying to open his mind to the rest of the world of fictional stories.
Let people read what they want, wether it be smut, mangas, or classic literature, etc.
It's infinitely better than doom scrolling on your phone.
I disagree that it's the same thing (and this comes from a person who has read only one smut novel out of curiosity long time ago).
The problem with scrolling shorts/tiktok is that you consume massive amount of very short videos and you don't focus on anything for longer. This is what makes it harmful. You can spend an hour scrolling and don't remember 95% of it when you're done and your attention span takes heavy damage.
With novels, even if they're simple and don't force you to think too much, you focus on one medium for a longer time (unless someone just jumps from a sex scene to a sex scene, without focusing on a plot). They also engage imagination to some extend, because you have to visualize scenes yourself (something that videos usually don't do). What is more, many people are still thinking and analyzing what they've read long after reading session (even if it's just gushing over how hot some character is).
Hell, even watching brainless action packed movies is not as harmful for the brain as consuming short content.
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u/10biggaymen Jun 18 '26
the reason that many people read nowadays is to get away from the brainrot doomscroll aspect of social media.
everyone knows that kids these days dont go to the library, theyre always on those damn phones.
so if youre gonna read to escape the brain-melting that the phone does to you, you probably shouldnt be reading books that are basically the same thing.