My argument is that reading is actually a very bad way to learn/communicate and always has been.

We just built a very strong culture encouraging it because for a long time it was the most efficient way to do both things.

Now it’s not, but the tradition of it being important is hard to shake.

The closest analogue in my mind is how the classics in their original Greek were considered the only true way to learn for a very long time (even once most of the important knowledge had been translated to English very well).

Reading is a perfectly fine way to increase one’s vocabulary. It’s not the only way - TV and actually conversation would work too. I don’t see why it’s a bad way. It’s cheap and doesn’t require manpower per session.

For some people, it still is the most efficient way to learn/communicate. Nothing is more annoying then using google to try to solve some problem and the first few results are videos...