Fed only the smoothest, smallest bites, we slowly forget how to chew.
This is a piece
about reading
in a scrolling culture.
It is easy
to understand
words
when they are
simple.
Digestible.
But where is the taste in that?
Why does prose need to be spoon-fed before it is allowed to be consumed?
My cravings for books, for articles, for poetry, used to be insatiable.
Now, it feels like I’ve lost my appetite.
My jaw grew tired while my stomach grumbled for something more convenient. Something that could fit the little time I had for myself in a world that hurried my every move.
Luckily, the pills convince us we have eaten.
The packaging is embellished with bold letters, empty spaces, and grade-level words. Inside are texts polished until even a child could swallow them whole.
And we take them daily. One scroll, another swipe— another bite-sized thought dissolved before it is truly savored.
Then when faced with a complete meal, with paragraphs as the viand and metaphors on the side, it’s as if our teeth fall weak.
Literacy starts to feel like biting into iron.
Sentences get stuck in between our teeth. Vocabulary adapts a foreign flavor.
So we settle for the pills: short, sweet, uncomplicated.
With every scroll, they become more delectable. Bursts of satisfaction disguised as nourishment, seasoned with the illusion of being full.
They travel down the throat so smoothly that we don’t notice how they weaken it at the same time. They offer quick snacks on education, quick substitutes for reflection, quick versions of lessons we were supposed to comprehend ourselves.
It works until we unlearn the pleasure and the privilege of eating. Of true understanding.
We forget that reading was never meant to be swallowed whole without chewing first.
Tell me,
While reading this
Did you ever
Feel like
Clicking out?
Did your fingers
Itch
For something
Shorter,
Faster,
Smoother?
Doesn’t that
Feel like
The most
Difficult
Pill to swallow?
Written by Blythe Ellise S. Levantino
Blythe Ellise S. Levantino is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
