Voices from within the academy are now raising the alarm [9] about the decline of literacy [10] under the relentless assault of totalized digital immersion—finally catching up to what CounterVortex [11] blogger and ranter Bill Weinberg has been saying for years [12] (although sneering denialism [13] about the problem remains fashionable). Worldwide, the humanities are being abandoned [14] in favor of STEM, while social media overtakes [15] "legacy media" as a source of "news"—or (as is more often the case) sinister propaganda [16]. In Episode 333 of the CounterVortex podcast [17], Bill takes stock of this grave and still under-appreciated threat to the survival of democracy and humanity itself [18]—and looks for signs of practical resistance [19].
Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon [21].
Books discussed:
The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember [22] by Nicholas G. Carr, Norton 2020
Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic [23] by Simon Winchester, Harper Collins 2023
The Reticular Society [23] by Ian Alan Paul, PM Press 2026
Production by Chris Rywalt [24]
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