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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

25 Ways We Are Getting Dumber

With bullshit, clickbait headlines like that, it’s little wonder people trust the media less and less each day.

Of course, we can do better.

As publishers, we can avoid sensationalism, oversimplification, “listicles,” and advertisements that compromise our work. We needn’t employ mediocrity in an effort to aggregate eyeballs.

As audience members, we can refuse to reward the nonsense: stop clicking, reading, watching, and listening unless the creator strives to add value. We shouldn’t tolerate vapidity just because the “content” is free.

We have two paths forward at this point: meaningful creations or content creation. The former requires rigor, restraint, and principles; the latter is merely a race toward dumber.