Picture yourself in 1995 and your average day. I was 25. Every morning I got the train to work.

Onboard, everyone read newspapers, magazines or books. In the cafe, over breakfast, strangers chatted while reading their newspapers, sharing their thoughts on the world.

Rich and poor, left and right, nobody fought over the news. That person voted Tory, and this one backed Labour. But that was fine. Opposing views were accepted, and nearly always shrugged off.

I’d pass building sites with workmen flicking through the papers. At lunch, folk were reading in bars or cafes. If it was sunny, teenagers were in the park. Some played football, some snogged, and some read books.

And people really read back then – young and old. They didn’t look at headlines and turn the page. They read in depth. At home, most folk read books most days, at least in bed before we fell asleep.

Read more by Neil Mackay

​Now picture the 2025 you. On your commute – if you still commute and meet other humans, of course – nobody reads. I get a train today, and I’m quite literally the only person with a newspaper, magazine or book in my hands.

And people aren’t even reading on their phones. If they’re not listening to algorithmically-selected music, they’re just scrolling – or maybe doing both. Their hands flick glass, in repetitive movements which remind me of nothing so much as a bear locked in a cage.

Reading on phones is merely to consume headlines or bite-sized chunks of information. Many of us get our understanding of international conflict, climate change, or global economics from one-minute TikTok videos.

In cafes today you’re greeted by near........

© Herald Scotland