Reading and Writing

Back to basics.

by Chanel Thorpe

Photo by James Roberts

Reading and writing. Skills we learn and grow into during our most important developmental years, fostering them in high school and college. They are essential in academics and day-to-day life. Writing emails and essays, reading books, articles, and the news are all parts of our daily lives as college students, but they are sometimes overlooked. Many of us rely on, or end up getting our news directly from, watching videos on social media. According to Pew Research, 45% of young adults aged 18-29 get their news from TikTok, 39% from Instagram, and 38% from X (formerly Twitter). 

With the continued rise of misinformation circulating on social media, we must practice reading critically more than ever. This takes less of “doom-scrolling,” which is defined as “the activity of spending a lot of time looking at your phone or computer and reading bad or negative news stories,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary, and more reading. Not only reading outside academics and quick articles, but also reading for pleasure. Taking things slow and picking up a book, whether online or physical, can undoubtedly diminish the issue of doom-scrolling online. 

Writing is somewhat related to reading. Most professors will tell you that more reading will improve your writing. While I agree, I think writing over and over will ultimately be the thing that improves your writing. If you don’t care about improving your writing, this article is not trying to make you do so. It is simply pointing out how writing over and over can improve prose and language. This is important for many reasons, but especially when communicating with colleagues and professors. But it is even more important for people interested in going into communication. Writing in advertising, journalism, PR, are all delicate aspects that can impact a large number of people. Being able to write clearly and effectively is imperative. 

Reading and writing are needed regardless of your future aspirations. Being able to do them well will only benefit you and hopefully, benefit those around you; the ones you communicate with and the ones you communicate to.