There's been a rise in how much people, especially young adults, are reading. Whether it's a trend or FOMO, I personally like the fact that people are rediscovering books and finding what they enjoy reading. You probably remember from school (I know I remember) when students were forced to read short stories or books that were not interesting to them and the book's content was not being absorbed nor analyzed. Students were copying classmates notes on the assigned chapters, looking up YouTube summaries, or checking Spark Notes. While I consider the last two options extremely helpful, it can be best to resort to that while reading the book to get a better understanding of what is going on. There is also the aspect of people's understanding of what they are reading added onto the story not being appealing to them.
Along with rising numbers of readers, we've noticed a rising number in the writing community. Not only are people reading what they like, but they are writing what they like (with the exclusion of fanfiction). That has been having different responses from the literary community, especially because the books that are being popularized do not quite meet the standards of literature.
We can look at it from different perspectives.
The reading proficiency at the 8th grade level has been declining since 2019 (National Center for Education Statistics), likely due to the changes implemented in school due to COVID-19 and as of 2020 54% of adults in the U.S. read below a 6th grade level (Sparx). Remembering the vocabulary that was used on books used to teach 6th graders, it is not a surprise when we draw parallels between the simplicity of diction in those books and the wording in some of the books that are being written, and even published by the big publishers now. The continuity of the usage of that language by a person as they grow older poses a threat to the development of their vocabulary (i.e. reading longer words, longer novels, more complex topics, etc.); basically, there is no development because there is no challenge in the works that are being read.
This can be tied to the recognition that literacy is not the same as having critical thinking skills. Literacy is simply "the ability to read and write" (Oxford Dictionary) while being able to think critically (in the literary aspect) means to analyze and evaluate the content that is being consumed in order to apply it in our own lives. One cannot think critically and make informed decisions when our knowledge isn't constantly challenged in order to expand. Many works that are now part of contemporary literature are holding back readers from becoming better thinkers, feeding the same simplicity in words but in different stories and holding the reader's hand every step of the way without allowing them to process the story and connect the dots (a lot of them based only on tropes and not on plot devices and a story, but that's a whole different thing).
Now, despite what I just mentioned, Why am I still happy that more people are reading?
Because stories are being consumed and it encourages discussions with likeminded people. Is it quality work? Not always. Does it build a community and allows people to find friends who enjoy certain stories? Absolutely.
I think of it like food. There is literature that can be compared to five-star Italian restaurant pasta. It is good and the experience to consume it can be life-changing. The quality makes us understand the reasons for it becoming so loved by many generations. Then there are pieces in the literary world that can be compared to canned soup. They're not inherently bad, but the production, ingredients, and quality might not be that good. They are quickly produced and some are not human-created (this is also another can of worms).
At the end of the day, as we get older, we should allow our minds to keep expanding. Being literate is a basic right, and being able to think critically by learning from what we consume gives us more power. Contemporary literature that is being spread and is too simplified can be something that we consume as occasional entertainment, it won't rot our brains, but let's be mindful that the limits to our brains are set or expanded by what we have around us.
