Are we becoming a post-literate society? - The Sunday Story
The Story30 Nov 2025

Are we becoming a post-literate society? - The Sunday Story

When an Oxbridge professor says his students are “functionally illiterate”, you know something is wrong. With reading levels in freefall and screentime rocketing, is the era of mass literacy over? In his wildly successful blog, James Marriot argues that three centuries after the reading revolution ignited democracy and modern science, we are now witnessing its great undoing. Where once we spent hours poring over books, contemplating complicated theories and ideas, we now scroll emotive, short form content. What effect is this major shift having on our brains? And are we are really at the dawn of the post-literate society?


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Guest: James Marriott, Times columnist.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

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Photo: Chris McAndrew for The Times.

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