Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound.

I've noticed changes in my reading habits that worry me: I skim read numerous articles on a screen daily and find myself easily distracted when I sit down with a ‘proper book’.

I found this article simultaneously disconcerting, insightful and hopeful. I am not alone in my cognitive reading shift – the article explores why this is happening and what it means to us as individuals and as a collective.

By asking questions – What happens if skimming is our primary way of reading? What do we lose if we only read on a screen? How do we use page-turning to retain information? – neuroscience is able to explore the notion that by deeply understanding what it is we are losing, we are capable of preventing these losses while still embracing the benefits of the digital world.

“We need to cultivate a new kind of brain: a ‘bi-literate’ reading brain capable of the deepest forms of thought in either digital or traditional mediums.”