In a video interview with Interview Magazine, popular influencer Alix Earle revealed that she has “never read a book.” Despite having a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami, she shared that the last book she read was “maybe” a Dr. Seuss book.
Literacy rates among Generation Z are rapidly declining, and influencers sharing their reading shortcomings could make the problem worse. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the percentage of U.S. adults ages 16 to 65 who fall into the lowest level of literacy increased from 19% in 2017 to a staggering 28% in 2023.
Gen Z is replacing books with screen time, which raises concerns about the media and content we consume and the people we look up to.
Alix Earle began creating content as a college student at the University of Miami and went viral with her “Get Ready With Me” videos in 2022. She had accrued 8.7 million followers on TikTok as of October 2026, and her audience is predominantly women ages 18 to 30. Beyond TikTok, Earl became the poster girl for commercials for companies like Hawaiian Tropic and Carl’s Jr.
It is safe to say Gen Z can not only recognize Earle while scrolling TikTok or watching Monday Night Football, but they also know that, despite having completed a degree, she has not picked up a book, at least not for leisure.
In a New York Post stitch video with Earle’s confession and critical commentary, the comment section is filled with defenders and critics of Alix.
One commenter wrote, “That’s just sad.”
Another commented, “Shame will not make her want to read. She was being honest, not flexing that she doesn’t read.”
While people online have expressed their worries or given her the benefit of the doubt, the issue prevails. Whether for leisure or not, Gen Z is not reading, but you can be the exception.
Reading books, magazines, newspapers and essays can not only serve as the escape we long for through our screens but also help us develop our opinions, identity and, most importantly, stay curious.
Gen Z does not need more information or stimulation, since unlocking our phones grants us access to both. We just need tools to know how to use them, and reading can be a way to refine those tools.
Reading, in many ways, can remind us that the value of things is what we make of them.
Influencers will continue to make videos and shape opinions one way or another, and it’s perfectly okay to be a passive viewer of these. However, we must also remind ourselves that we have the power to resist scrolling more and shift into something that we’ve lost sight of in the age of algorithms and “Get Ready With Me” videos: asking questions, figuring ourselves out and giving ourselves the time of day to understand what we do and consume.
