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Reading Bowling Alone, Alone.

Oct 4, 2024

Something is going very wrong with our attention span and discipline.

Maybe it’s everything wrong with social media. Maybe it’s tech more generally.

I’m part of a book group with my team at work and It went months without meeting because we didn’t have a book. I suggested one and it’s back but I genuinely wonder if we remember the enjoyment of long-form ‘content’.

I’m worried about it because I tried to start a book club with my friends.

It felt like when I would try to schedule a time to meet about the first chapter I was suddenly mute. My communication didn’t make it across. Static.

I paid for physical books for everyone. That’s going to go to waste.

I think I have problems with the consumption of YouTube myself. False. I know. I don’t want to fix it. Sometimes it feels like YouTube is my friend, but then something I watch ends up trashing on my views because charged, engaging content makes it to the top.

I miss whatever it is we’re losing. I’ve heard the book Bowling Alone referenced maybe dozens of times and I’ve yet to read it. I suppose when I do, I’ll be alone in doing so.