Ctrl+Shft+Delete: Why ‘Reading Habit’ is off the Bookmarked List (My Piece in Times Now)

A new research suggests digital engagement enhances cognitive abilities like fluid intelligence, pattern recognition, and multitasking. Experts now argue that evolving digital habits are rewiring brains for a dynamic future, not diminishing intellectual potential. Read the authored article here...

There is a growing concern among parents and teachers about a missing ‘reading habit’ in the digital native generations: mostly Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids. Reading was one of three ‘R’s formulated in the early 19th century to denote a sort of holy trinity of Reading, (w)Riting, and (a)Rithmetic as building blocks of education or what constituted being educated. While this dictum was dutifully followed for over 200 years, now there seems to be a perceptible shift in its reputation as proof of being educated.

Emerging research challenges the conventional view that screen time and digital engagement are detrimental to human development, especially in the area of cognition. Much has been written about the negatives of being online, such as shortened attention spans and mood swings, but there has been scant coverage of whether there is an upside to it.

American neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, often referred to as the ‘father of neuroplasticity,’ hinted about the upside in a TED Talk way back in 2004. In his talk, Merzenich called the human brain “a machine constructed for change,” which conferred “upon us the ability to do things tomorrow that we cannot do today”. In a later book titled ‘Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life,’ Merzenich challenged the long-held belief about a ‘hard-wired’ brain whose capacities and capabilities were set in stone after the early impressionable years.

The idea that the human brain was soft-wired—meaning it was not static but was constantly changing and adapting—became a core principle of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to reformat itself. This new paradigm meant that mental habits, especially those circling the issue of education, were not entirely dependent on a particular pathway—as suggested by the three ‘R’s—but could be reconfigured, giving rise to multiple learning pathways.


What is also being seen to emerge from the disappearance of the much-lamented reading habit is the progressive onset of what Raymond Cattell, a pioneering psychometrist, called ‘fluid intelligence’ back in the 1940s. Cattell differentiated fluid intelligence from ‘crystallized intelligence’ as the ability to think in abstract terms, be able to have complex reasoning, identify patterns, and solve novel problems without having any prior knowledge or experience of them.

This exceptional ability, researchers say, is increasingly being found in people doing things online. One of the key findings of psychiatrist Dr Gary Small shows how internet use—especially playing certain video games and programs—doesn’t just enhance fluid intelligence but also creates new cognitive abilities. Dr Small goes on to suggest that time spent in the digital space is creating “super brains” that are more capable than those of previous generations.

A ground-breaking study by the University of California found that children who were frequent users of digital media developed stronger visual memory, improved pattern recognition, and exceptional multitasking abilities. There is little doubt that these skills are more and more required in a world filled with constant streams of information. For young users, the digital space is what a flume pool is to competitive swimmers: the stronger the current, the more muscle and endurance it builds.

What good is the reading habit for? Especially as scientific evidence doesn’t seem to weigh in much in its favour. Cognitive scientist Dr. Maryanne Wolf is of the view that deep, reflective reading isn't the only valuable form of literacy. According to Wolf, rapid multimodal processing—the same used in Multimodal AI—is equally crucial in educating young minds as it involves getting information from many sources: think reels, shorts, memes, gaming apps, and the like.

Of course, all this doesn’t come without a caveat, especially when your online life happens to the exclusion of social contact. But the good news is that our brains are rewiring themselves for the brave new digital world. The challenge lies in recognizing it not as a gap but as an evolutionary step towards a more versatile human super brain.

Author: Prof Dhiraj Singh, Deputy Dean, Times School of Media, Head, Centre for Media & Technology, Bennett University, Greater Noida

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