Everyone has something to say about the state of reading in 2026: Reading comprehension scores in the U.S. have continued to decline. Many college students cannot make it through an entire book. The majority of Americans reported reading five or fewer books the previous year, according to a 2025 Pew Research survey.

Yet, at the same time, a growing number of Gen Zers are identifying as readers. “Welcome to hot literature fall,” Yahoo declared last week. People are attending reading parties in droves, signing up to celebrity book clubs, and fashioning books as accessories.

Whether we are reading more or less than ever shouldn’t be the main concern. The real question is: How are we reading—and are we reading deeply enough?

In the age of smartphones, artificial intelligence, and information overload, the act of “deep reading,” or really getting lost in a book, can be difficult to practice. 

Nowadays, “brain rot” is rampant: Most of us spend more time than we’d care to admit mindlessly scrolling low-quality content online, with 63% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 admitting they are online “almost constantly,” per a 2025 Pew Research Center survey. 

This spin through the algorithmic meat grinder often leaves us feeling mentally exhausted. A 2025 study also found “brain rot” content leads to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, and negative feelings about oneself. 

Deep reading, on the other hand, isn’t just passively scrolling whatever our feeds throw at us without scrutiny or pause.

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