This is the same literary technique that Homer uses to open The Iliad, Virgil uses to open The Aneid, and that Vyasa uses to open The Mahabharata.

I didn't like these articles 15 years ago. Unless the subject matter absolutely grabs me, I still don't.

I skim voraciously, and I always have. I skimmed newspapers and magazines as a kid. It's a filter for signal. Fluff grates me.

I wouldn't blame TikTok.