Harris: Democracy at Risk as Reading Declines and Fascist Movements Gain Ground

Writing in The Guardian, John Harris argues that the decline in reading comprehension poses a threat to democratic discourse, particularly as organized fascist groups stage public demonstrations in UK ports and online. Harris cites a YouGov poll showing 53% of people aged 18–24 have no stance on masked protests in Dover and Portsmouth, while 43% of all ages are unaware of or not following the story.

Harris attributes the information gap to how social media users, particularly on TikTok, consume content in rapid, distracted bursts—with users able to scroll through 260 videos in under 35 minutes—leaving them without the analytical tools needed to evaluate claims or recognize misinformation spread by far-right movements online.