Many observers of trends East and West noticed more than a decade ago that as information technology and electronic media develop at high speed, the new youth increasingly rely on sound and images to absorb information, while opportunities for reading and writing decline. "They are becoming the new illiterates," wrote Hong Kong social observer Ma Chia-hui five years ago. This trend is becoming increasingly evident in Taiwan as well.
許多東西方趨勢觀察家在十幾年前早已發現，自從資訊科技、電子媒體蓬勃發展以後，新人類在資訊吸收上多依靠影像、圖像、音訊輔助，文字使用機會減少，「即將成為新文盲」，香港社會觀察家馬家輝在五年前指出，而這個趨勢今日在台灣也日漸明顯。