Understand How Reading Made Us: Trailer
Mar 5, 2026
A teasing tour of reading’s decline and what might happen if it fades away. Scenes range from alarmed research on shrinking pleasure reading to the idea that reading rewired minds, cultures and politics. Listeners get hints of dramatic stories—book burnings, dragons and dark web rescue missions—plus what the series will investigate next.
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Reading As A Radical Cognitive Technology
- Reading is a radical technology that has rewired minds and reshaped society, culture, and politics.
- James Marriott argues the decline in reading could produce huge societal consequences and asks what a future without reading would look like.
Rapid Decline In Reading For Pleasure
- Reading for pleasure is declining rapidly, with a third of UK adults saying they've given it up.
- James Marriott collected trends and contacts reporting warning signs that reading is falling away across society.
How The Host Became Obsessed With Reading Trends
- James Marriott describes his investigation starting with odd articles and conversations that led him to become obsessed with the trend.
- He says more people contacted him about observed changes, turning a curiosity into a larger inquiry about consequences.