The Top 5: Children's literacy, The Squad, documentaries & veterinarians
Plus, will Bing make a comeback?
Welcome to your weekly edition of the Top 5 articles we’ve read this week. Each week, we read dozens of articles in the hope we find essays and reporting that speak to big ideas, trends, future looks, and incredible human stories. We hope you enjoy our list, and do always let us know if you have a suggestion or a recommendation! Please also consider becoming a paid subscriber if this is one of those newsletters you open up all the time or look forward to each week.
The Top 5 articles for your week:
“Crushed” (Atavist Magazine)
Because this is an inside look into how child actors are getting pulled into YouTube and influencer circles — specifically at the preteen level — and the dysfunction of one particular circle, The Squad.
“Is This The Week AI Changed Everything?” (The Atlantic)
Because: is our new and overwhelming AI shift real?
Those who’ve had early access to the new, AI-powered Bing have described it as a true change, saying that using it feels akin to the first time they searched something on Google. A product rollout that produces this kind of chatter doesn’t happen often. Sometimes, it signals a generational shift, like the unveiling of Windows 95 or the first iPhone. What these announcements have in common is that they don’t just reimagine a piece of technology (desktop operating systems, phones) but rather create their own gravity, reshaping culture and behaviors around their use.
“Reality Check” (Vulture)
Because we’ve got a lot of documentaries at our fingertips on streaming services, and the artists themselves — the documentarians — are questioning the commercialization of the genre.
A genre that had always existed in part to inform and enlighten was now primarily a commercial product. That meant documentarians had more work, which was nice, but the projects often came with shorter deadlines and notes from streamers pushing directors to juice opening sequences with a little extra tension, as if these were spy thrillers that could be punched up rather than representations of real life. A decade after journalism suffered through its own period of disruption, its onscreen cousin entered a kind of clickbait era of its own: Make it fast, see what works, repeat.
“Our Business Is Killing” (Slate)
Because I (Melissa) didn’t know that veterinarians have a high-rate of suicide, and this essay from the perspective of a vet illuminates how often the profession deals in death.
“Two-Thirds of Kids Struggle to Read, and We Know How to Fix It” (NYT)
Because Nick Kristoff argues for more phonics in education.
What’s clear is that when two-thirds of American kids are not proficient at reading, we’re failing the next generation. We can fix this, imperfectly, if we’re relentlessly empirical and focus on the evidence. It’s also noteworthy that lots of other interventions help and aren’t controversial: tutoring, access to books, and coaching parents on reading to children. And slashing child poverty, which child tax credits accomplished very successfully until they were cut back.
ICYMI on Wear We Are
No Sunday episode this week!
The Morning Five: February 6, 2023
The Morning Five: February 7, 2023
If Democrats reordering their primaries leads Republicans to follow suit, how will that impact the Republican primary race?