The abundance of available information is why you read less books

30 May 2026

I now read many fewer books than I did ten years ago. This not because of “the phones.” It is not because I have lost my intellectual mojo. It is because alternative sources of information have become more compelling.

Essays, streaming video, podcasts, and (like it or not) social media, are among the alternative sources King refers to, and not even works of fiction are immune.

In short, there’s a lot more information in the world today, compared to even twenty-five years ago, and books are no longer the only way to consume this knowledge.