“I don’t see cursive in everyday life, nor do I see anyone using it.”

On Thursday (13 August), the platform announced the surprise switch from its classic cursive lettering to a “sharper and more modern” alternative.

"The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh," Instagram founder Adam Mosseri shared. "Cleaner and more modern, with references to the original and the simplicity and craft that’s always made it Instagram."

But among the news and mixed responses that somehow shook the internet, there’s a little theory brewing beneath the surface, and it’s rooted in Gen Z’s reading and writing abilities when it comes to cursive. Don’t shoot the messenger.

“The youth can’t read cursive so I approve of the sly dig,” one person penned, as another chimed in: “Is this because cursive writing is now a lost recipe?”

If you're curious why Instagram changed their wordmark today, it's because schools stopped teaching cursive ~10 years ago so GenZ+ can't read it pic.twitter.com/IstbVomTFL

Up until 2010, cursive writing was mandatory in many US schools before it was officially removed from the required Common Core Standards for K-12 education.

In 2022, The Atlantic delved into it further, claiming: "In the future, cursive will have to be taught to scholars the way Elizabethan secretary hand or palaeography is today."

“I can't read cursive, especially not old-timey genealogy cursive. I just ask someone else to help me. I don't see cursive in everyday life, nor do I see anyone using it. My parents are both boomers and write in block print, for example,” one wrote. 

“I'm Gen X, and while I learned cursive, I still can't read most older documents written in a style of cursive that's foreign to me,” another shared. “Lamenting the evolution of education is like whining that kids aren't taught to steer a carriage or weave wool anymore.”

Meanwhile, a third penned: “I'm a millennial and was never taught cursive. Just the curvy print letters that are supposed to make cursive easier than string up block print. It has created its challenges as an adult, though thankfully I figured out a signature myself with some kids' cursive books and picked up enough to read bits of clear cursive.”

Additional thumbnail photo credit: Instagram