No one cant read no more (or spell)

Every time I scroll through TikTok, I see the same typo: someone writing “loose” when they clearly meant “lose.” I swear to god, I see this typo of this exact word at least 8-10 times a day. This isn’t funny, it equally pisses me off, perplexes me, and scares me.

Now, I see it everywhere else too—from comments to captions to actual posts from major brands or businesses outlets. And it’s not just “loose” vs. “lose.” We’re talking widespread misuse of “chose” and “choose,” “your” and “you’re,” “their” and “they’re” too. These are second-grade grammar rules!!!!! And yet, many adults, teens, and even kids online are consistently getting them wrong.

I can tell that it's a pattern of witness—That sooooo many American adults (and children) of all demographics and backgrounds have actually FORGOTTEN how to spell "lose." This is because they are constantly seeing it spelled "loose," incorrectly, and are assuming that it says "lose" and taking that as fact, simply having forgotten over time how to spell it correctly. Which is low-key insane to me, but I don’t think it’s that jarring to anyone else. I feel like I am witnessing the re-spelling of a word in real time. Soon it will become correct English to spell “lose” and “loose” simply because the majority changed the spelling through their illiteracy.

It’s not just infuriating to writers like me though—it’s extremely alarming, and the data backs it up that there’s something amiss..

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), reading scores for 13-year-olds in the U.S. have dropped significantly. In 2023, only 14% of 13-year-olds reported reading for fun “almost every day,” down from 17% in 2020 and a dramatic fall from 27% in 2012. In that same year, only half of U.S. adults reported reading for enjoyment at all, according to a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) survey. The drop in reading for fun parallels a decline in reading proficiency.

Fourth-grade NAEP results from 2022 showed that 37% of students scored below basic reading levels—up from 34% in 2019. Eighth graders didn’t fare much better: 30% scored below basic, and only 27% were considered proficient. These are nationwide results, not isolated pockets of the country...

“This is a major concern,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the NCES. “Our nation is facing complex challenges in reading.” And as Lesley Muldoon of the National Assessment Governing Board pointed out, if a fourth-grader can’t determine the meaning of a familiar word from context, that’s a serious foundational gap in critical thinking.

Some might point to COVID-era disruptions and remote learning—and yeah, they played a role, sure. But the decline didn’t start with the pandemic. It’s been unraveling for over a decade now.

So what else is driving this?

Many experts point to screen time as a culprit. In a world where most information comes in video form, via TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, people are rarely exposed to written words anymore. And if they are, it’s improperly spelled words and brain rot, improper sentence structure in captions that so many take as normal now. But anyway, they consume content by watching and listening, not reading. Even audiobooks! While beneficial in some ways, doesn’t teach spelling or punctuation. With fewer opportunities to see words in context, it’s no wonder people are spelling phonetically or getting grammar wrong…

And then there’s the apathy. Teachers on the ground are sounding the alarm. One very good friend of mine worked as a remote teacher assistant during lockdown—she quickly realized her 4th-grade students couldn’t read, write, or complete basic assignments. Their parents? Many didn’t help or seem to care! She's not alone in that observation either. Tutors and educators across the country are saying the same thing: kids are falling behind, and no one seems to be able to bring them up to speed.

The consequences of poor reading skills go beyond typos in TikTok comments. When people can’t comprehend what they’re reading, they’re more likely to fall for misinformation, misunderstand contracts or policies, and struggle with basic communication in school or at work. Literacy is power, people! Without it, we’re setting up an entire generation to fail.

So what happens when an entire society forgets how to spell lose?

We lose much more than just a few letters. We lose critical thinking. We lose clarity. We lose the ability to communicate and understand each other.

And that, frankly, is something we can’t afford to be loose about. heh... heh...