Let’s Put an End to the “Read That Again” Meme Madness
Major reading issues in the Age of Skimming.
Apparently, people don’t read.
That’s what I’ve determined. I know this because of a common meme tagline in recent years that demands the readers to:
“Read that again.”
My mind has officially been blown by the number of times I’ve seen some supposedly life-altering statement on social media followed by the tagline “read that again” — and it’s really starting to piss me off. So here’s my mini-rant followed by my mini-challenge to hopefully wipe this tagline off the internet for good.
My “Read It Again” Rant
To these meme creators: first of all, don’t be lazy. If you want me to read it again, then WRITE IT AGAIN.
Yeah, if you want me to read it again, then write it again. Just like that. Not too hard, huh?
Second, if I really read it, I wouldn’t need to “read it again.” What makes you think that if I didn’t read it the first time, I will go back and read it the second time? Why, because you said so?! Who are you, my boss?
This nonsense of telling people to “read that again” makes it seem like you’re Einstein. You’re not. How do I know? First of all, you’re making a meme. Second, your meme is not giving people the secrets to the universe. It’s saying something rather obvious that people already know. But you’re still trying to slam it into their heads by demanding they “read that again.”
People like me who actually read when we read are annoyed when we are asked to read again. It’s insulting, really. It means that you think I have a 3rd-grade comprehension level, but somehow you’re writing at a 12th-grade level.
You’re not. I got it the first time, genius.
Problems With the Age of Skimming
Ok, rant complete. Now on to the more pressing matters.
The consistency with which people are using this “read it again” phrase supports a recent, disturbing discovery that’s likely the cause of this nonsense. A series of studies concluded that a new reading norm is arising with our digital age. It’s called skimming. These studies found that most people skimmed words on a page in a specific pattern looking for keywords, yet few people sunk deep into the material.
In other words, few people actually read. The ultimate problem with skimming is that readers don’t “have time to grasp complexity, to understand another’s feelings, to perceive beauty, and to create thoughts of the reader’s own.”
Ah. This is making sense now. A meme that tells me to “Read that again!” is actually saying: “Please don’t skim! Go back and actually read that because that was important.”
So, maybe the issue isn’t that we need to read something twice. Perhaps this is the issue; we need to read it the first time.
We need to stop skimming.
We need to be more choosy with our content.
And — prepare yourself for a big one (that way I won’t have to ask you to read it again) — we need to commit.
Because, as I see it, skimming is really a commitment problem. We only have so much time in our day, but there are so many articles on the internet.
How will we fit it all in? Oh, I know. We can skim. We can skip over the parts that we:
A) don’t understand
B) don’t care to understand
C) think are boring
Instead, we settle on words that are familiar or that we deem more interesting.
A Mini-Challenge to Put an End to “Read That Again” Memes
So, here’s my challenge to all of us (yes, I sometimes skim too! Rarely though, I promise).
Go through your Medium feed. Find one new writer per day for the rest of the month. Pick 3 articles from that writer — each at least 5 minutes or more in length. And commit to reading all the way through each of the 3 articles.
Now, old habits die hard. Even though this skimming habit is likely less than 10 years old, it’s a digital habit… and digital habits seem to die harder than the rest. Point being, you’re going to want to skim. You’re going to notice yourself getting bored.
Drifting off…
Lulled by the possibility of all the other articles out there…
But what if they could woo you so much better than this one?…
Just notice those things, and then recommit! Take your hand off that scroll button and commit. Read. Slow down. Feel. Breathe. Stay with it. You can do it. Commit, commit, commit!
You may notice something new. You may learn something new. You may realize that when writers pen a 5–10 minute article, they’re typically trying to craft a small piece of art with a beginning, middle, and end. When you skip over these pieces, you cheat yourself! You receive less depth, less learning, and less comprehension as a reader. Also, you might miss out on a great story or some laughs. How awful is that?
Full-Read February Challenge 2021
Don’t cheat yourself anymore. Commit to reading 3 full Medium articles all the way through for the rest of February.
Take the Full-Read February Challenge with me.
Starting Sunday, February 7, 2021. 15 minutes of commitment per day to one Medium writer. 3 articles each day. 3 weeks long. Choose a different writer each day. In total, you will explore the writing of 21 new-to-you writers on this platform.
Added bonus: you can share the articles you read or your thoughts on this practice. Make sure to tag me @kristy.lynn so I can read what you wrote.
I’ll also be posting daily on my Twitter: @KristyL_writer
You can do this. And, who knows — you may love it so much you ditch skimming and keep reading!
