Axios and the Business of Shallow Thinking

Axios has became a political observer's must-read, delivering buzzy scoops in bullet-point form. We have been critical of the publication for repeatedly drawing sweeping conclusions – such as the May headline below – from non-representative focus groups. Some topics, we believe, require more context and depth than Axios delivers.

Our concern about their approach is deepening, thanks to a recent read of Nicholas Carr's Pulitzer-nominated The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. Carr argues the internet is training our brains to consume information in interrupted, distracted ways, strengthening the parts of our brains that are good at quick shifts in focus but weakening the parts of our brain used for reflection and contemplation.

Brain science also tells us that paying deep attention to something activates critical thinking, conceptual knowledge and long-term memory. These are precisely the skills we need to grapple with the complex challenges our society faces today.

Which brings us back to Axios. The publication is not the cause of our distracted mindset, but they have built a business upon it. In pushing us toward facile summaries, Axios weakens our ability to make the tough tradeoffs complexity requires.

Our advice: make time for deeper thinking. Build it into your calendar. Close your email, set your smartphone aside and pick up that Foreign Affairs that's collecting dust. And consider Axios's content to be introductory, not the final word.