Just Listen to Lela: "I’m Not Reading All That" - And It Shows
Once, it was a punchline in the comment section. Now, it’s a worldview.
“I’m not reading all that.”
What began as internet snark has calcified into a collective character flaw: an allergic reaction to depth. A refusal to engage. A hollow pride in not knowing.
We say it like a flex now. As if being anti-comprehension is digital strategy. As if skimming is a sign of discernment. As if collapsing complexity is the same as being concise.
It’s not.
It’s intellectual laziness dressed up as modern efficiency.
Because here’s the quiet truth behind that five-word refusal: You’re not reading, and it’s ruining your ability to lead. You’re not reading, and your brand sounds like a highlight reel on autoplay. You’re not reading, and it shows in the way you ghost nuance, rush revelation, and call it taste.
We’ve built a culture that mistakes fast for smart. We treat anything longer than a caption like a TED Talk. We pretend our shrinking attention spans are filters, when really they’re shields.
What are we protecting?
Speed is not discernment. Skimming is not strategy. Swipe culture has created a generation of leaders who can quote the tagline but can’t follow the thread. We’re talking about things instead of thinking through them. Reposting instead of reflecting. Skimming briefs, ghostwriting depth, and calling it content.
And in the process, we are missing the opportunity. Missing the context. The subtext. The signal inside the noise. Missing the very ideas that could expand our thinking, sharpen our work, and elevate our brand beyond the obvious.
Worse? We’re too lazy to even let the thousand-dollar machines at our fingertips - our phones, our laptops - do the reading for us. These devices are built to help us absorb information. They can read aloud, highlight, annotate. There is no excuse left. Not even time. What we’re avoiding isn’t effort. It’s engagement.
And that avoidance? It’s costing us. Not just money, though, yes, missed insight and poor comprehension can absolutely tank deals, strategies, and brand equity. But even more quietly, it’s costing us connection.
When someone shares something with you - a thought, an idea, a piece of writing - they’re reaching for connection. They’re offering an opening. And when your response is, "Girl, I'm not reading all that"? You close that door. You teach them not to share again.
And you have no idea what you’re missing.
Here’s what reading, really reading, actually requires: Stillness. Surrender. Focus. A willingness to let something sit with you long enough to change your mind.
And if that’s too much for you? What, exactly, are you building?
Because a brand that skims isn’t a brand that leads. An audience that won’t read won’t retain. And a creator who confuses speed for resonance will burn out before they ever break through.
This isn’t a call to make your captions longer. It’s a cultural mirror.
If “I’m not reading all that” is your default, ask yourself what else you’re opting out of. Truth? Process? Intimacy?
Because the people who still read? They still care. They still buy. And they still remember.
And let’s talk about what else we’re losing: Community. Accountability. Ownership.
I’ve seen clients sign off on things without reading them, assuming someone else will catch what they missed. Assuming someone else will hold the thread. That’s not delegation. That’s abdication.
People are too lazy to even read their own contracts. Critical documents that outline how they get paid, protected, credited. They’ll skim it, sign it, and expect their team to know what’s in it. But it’s not your team’s job to babysit your business. Unless you’re paying for legal review or executive oversight, it’s not their responsibility to read for you.
And even if you are? It’s still yours to know.
Reading isn’t optional when it’s about your money, your protection, your power. That’s the point of contracts, of handoffs, of documented decisions: you read, you understand, you agree.
If you’re not willing to engage even with the things that are designed to protect and prosper you - what are you doing?
Reading isn’t extra. It’s foundational. To leading. To earning. To belonging.
With clarity, conviction, and a little side-eye, Your favorite Branding Auntie,