50 years ago, futurist Alvin Toffler wrote, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Decades later, his prediction has become our reality. Students in advanced English classes are not only unable to determine the purpose a semicolon plays in a sentence, but also disregard the significance of this modest detail in writing. As algorithms dictate what we see and artificial intelligence changes how we write, we must face the harsh reality: our traditional definition of literacy is completely obsolete.
Most prominently, users across social media platforms pursue success in curating “relatable” videos for millions to watch, like, repost. But in doing so, they are unveiling their inability to produce a single sentence applying standard English grammar. The issue is not the lack of capitalization—which has quickly developed as the modern standard. The problem lies in the casual misuse of elementary terms such as “your” and “you’re.” To use or not to use a possessive or a contraction. Words we learn to differentiate in second grade have suddenly blended into one. How could we as a society let this happen? The answer may lie right in the classrooms of the next generation.
In current English curriculums, students are required to read classic literature. From Fahrenheit 451 to The Great Gatsby, each of these novels reveals an underlying warning to its reader. The issue with forcing students to read 300 pages of words and comprehend them in a way that can be analyzed is that there is a shortage of teenagers willing to do so. As the first generation to grow up immersed in technology, Gen Z has become accustomed to solving their problems by delving into the depths of TikTok and resurfacing hours later. The result of this? Their vocabulary is significantly altered—and not in a positive way. The lack of experience reading complex expressions creates a domino effect in which they must be oversimplified to be understood. And instead of taking the time to discover and apply the definitions of words they are unfamiliar with, individuals skim over phrases to complete the novel quicker. Because as long as they finish the book and pass the test at the end of the unit, it doesn’t matter to them.
Illiteracy has become a striking dilemma in recent years. Reading as a pastime has dwindled in commonality as advancements in technology overshadow the works of modern writers. Arguably, the stories we read in English class yield more importance in the present than they did in the past. Until we as a society can come together as a whole to recognize and celebrate the language we’ve spent our entire lives learning, our nation’s intelligence will be left in the hands of our government. And we wouldn’t want that, would we, Comrade.