口头传统是非记录的、代代相传的，依靠重复记忆、刻板印象以及直觉。文字意味着记录，意味着更大的知识储备和更加严谨、逻辑化的思维，但记录并不一定要靠文字。
Most of the differences between oral and literate cultures are actually differences between non-recorded and recorded cultures. And even if our culture has become slightly less literate, it has become far more recorded. Text is king
事实上，我们目前的社会可以被认为是多模态的
We haven’t become post-literate. We’ve become post-monomodal. Text hasn’t disappeared; it’s been joined by a symphony of other channels. What we think is a decline in literacy is a design problem Aeon Essays
这种其他记录形式的知识载体本身也拓宽了认知的范围和效率。比如，它们为传统上不善阅读写作者提供了替代的学习路径
The pattern I observe repeatedly: people who ‘can’t focus’ on traditional texts can maintain extraordinary concentration when working across modes. They struggle with philosophy textbooks but thrive when they can listen to lectures while taking visual notes, discuss ideas in study groups, and write while pacing. This isn’t deficit. It’s difference. And our responsibility is to build environments where that difference becomes an asset rather than an obstacle. What we think is a decline in literacy is a design problem Aeon Essays
书籍的地位不会被动摇，对于某些需要持续、复杂思考的领域，它们依然无可替代。但书籍已不再是承载严肃思想的唯一载体。
Related
- 后文字时代及衰退论 一定程度上回应了对后文字时代的担忧，至少这不会是一种到前文字时代/口头时代的倒退。