By Charlie Nadler
The invention of the phonograph was monumental in the history of sound and music, a medium which enjoyed great popularity for a century before the invention of tapes, CDs, and eventually completely weightless digital MP3s. The driver of these changes was, ultimately, convenience. The printed word has been the medium of choice for those seeking information and entertainment for millennia, but perhaps, like vinyl records, it too is fading into irrelevance. What is driving this could be, of all things, convenience as well.
Following trends of novels adapted for the screen, Netflix released a new adaption of Steinbeck’s legendary work East of Eden this week. With this new material now available, in addition to the original 1955 adaptation, what will become of the source material? Will it become overlooked, like vinyl, in favor of the more convenient, and frankly, fun option? Perhaps, and perhaps not.
It is no secret that literacy rates are falling. Last year, the Nation’s Report Card reported that reading scores among high school seniors had fallen to their lowest level since 1992. Due to the country’s increasing preference for doing anything other than reading, it has consequently become increasingly prevalent that our relationship with the medium is changing. In the August 2026 issue of The Atlantic, Rose Horowitch coined the term post-literacy to describe this, arguing that current trends point to reading becoming a thing of the past. This word is one that perhaps best encapsulates the current moment. With all these screen adaptations, the internet, and social media, it has never been easier to obtain information. In other words, it is more convenient (and much easier) to learn things from, say, wikipedia, AI, or reddit forums, than to actually do any kind of reading of source material.
That said, it will come to no surprise to learn that most Americans now prefer to watch content than read a book, so perhaps after all print is indeed being eclipsed by screen adaptations and things of the like. Considering such overwhelming trends, is it possible that Rose Horowitch was right? Was reading just a small blip in human history, like the phonograph?
Of course, it is still too early to tell. A monumental achievement like reading couldn’t simply be cast aside like it’s nothing, but perhaps it will have less of an important role in society in the coming decades, limited only to the enthusiasts, for instance.
But even a medium as clunky as vinyl made a comeback.
