I feel pretty safe in saying that most mid-20s middle class Americans do the VAST majority of their reading on the internet.  Physical newspapers and magazines have long been giving way to the immediacy and intimacy of digital things.

And this is changing reading a bit — long blocks of text are no longer the standard.  We now expect our articles and information to be accompanied by images, infographics, and even video media that helps enrich our experience.  Take this article about the most recent Mad Men episode, for example.  (Spoiler alert if you haven’t watched it).

Curmudgeons would probably say something about this generation’s declining appreciation for the written word, but this new style actually reminds me of something else entirely:

A lecture.

Like, the kind we had in college.

Good lecturers (and you know which ones I’m talking about) were able to combine two skills to great effect: a clever, engaging speaking style AND the ability to find and utilize intriguing, memorable visual examples to drive the point home.

Written information now has to follow the same pattern.  And I think this is a good thing, for no other reason than we are now being expected to think like educators, instead of just writers.  Goes back to this whole, “everyone’s now having a perpetual conversation” idea I talk about a lot.

The bar is raised, people.  Reach accordingly.