The silent generation: Are we forgetting how to talk and read? 

Two striking pieces paint a picture of a culture going quiet. The Washington Post explores the "Gen Z stare" — a viral social media phenomenon — alongside research showing Americans are speaking roughly 300 fewer words per day with each passing year, a 28% decline from 2005 to 2019, especially among people under 25. Meanwhile, The Atlantic declares "the end of reading is here," arguing we've entered a postliterate age. We connect the dots between screens replacing conversation, shrinking attention spans and what it all means for how we communicate, connect and consume information.