Reading habits in the age of the internet

Gone are those days when people used to bury themselves into reading books. Books and literature were once considered as one of the most discussed topics in a crowd to a point where one would feel embarrassed if someone used to mention a book that an individual didn’t read or come across. People were curious to read as many books as possible. The morning routine of every individual started with reading a newspaper. The local coffee shops, cafes, and public transport used to be filled with people either reading the daily news or a book.

But now with the advent of the internet and social media, it’s become a dying habit or a habit that people have to literally force themselves to, like fitness. The work, to be published by the National Literacy Trust in the run-up to World Book Day on Thursday, shows that in 2019 just 26% of under-18s spent some time each day reading. Well, it can be argued read reading doesn’t necessarily have to mean reading a book, it can also mean reading internet articles, Reddit comments, YouTube comments, and basically everything in between. Having said that, we shall explore why and how scrolling and reading through stuff on the Internet cannot be constituted as being similar to reading a book.

With the click of a single button, you can now watch or read news online. Whether it’s a story or the news, people are just finding it more convenient than buying the same thing in the physical form. As electronic media has made things easier, people are getting habituated to it. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to get back to the old school way of reading something, more so with the younger generation being totally addicted to the internet.

As opposed to reading a book, checking social media and the phone becomes a part of muscle memory. Even if you are reading an article or a book on the phone, it majorly affects your attention span. A lot of times, even before you’re done reading 20 pages of a book on the screen, the is the urge to move on to something new. There is a level of instant gratification with social media that isn’t there in a book. It has the capacity to temporarily shoot up your dopamine levels giving you that joy, and adding to hours and hours of mindless scrolling. Therefore a book might be a slow boil, but it is worth every single second that you invest in it.Â

There is one more alternative that seems to balance out the pros and cons here. The Kindle and other similar devices, wherein the screen feels like reading a book. The interface is adjusted such that the texture quality and the brightness come as close to reading a physical book as possible. Therefore, you don’t get the same eye strain as you would if you were reading the same thing on a computer or a phone. Also, there is no worry of transporting a ton of books from place to place that you would inevitably buy. Reading books doesn’t leave you as alone as it does on social media, where you invariably feel alone even after having “interacted” with the whole world on social media. People might feel this a lot while reading on their phones or scrolling through social media, but never on a book. Books bring a sense of old world joy and companionship that cannot be replicated, with the choice of taking them and reading them wherever we want!

There is also one more huge problem to this that we seldom address. Every single generation feels the one next in line is getting destroyed due to the level of advancements humans make globally, starting with kids not reading as much and spending most of their time on gadgets, games, and the internet.

In my humble opinion, kids would read more if they’re given more free reign on reading stuff they actually liked rather than adults forcing books on to them that the adult seems appropriate. We need to put an end to parents belittling their children for wanting a book that isn’t lined with their choice of literature. Try getting kids habituated to the art of reading by bringing them books they actually enjoy. It takes time to go from not reading anything, to finding what you are actually into, and properly read.

Although the internet is a huge treasure trove of information for all readers alike, there are a couple of ways you can stay away from it and resort to reading paperbacks. Firstly, if you have the money and the time to buy a paperback book, simply go for it! When you have a hardcopy to start with, every digital device including a phone, a tablet, and a laptop is away from you. You won’t get distracted, and reading from a screen will damage your eyes slowly in the long run. Truly, nothing can replace books. Secondly, you can also try listening instead of reading. Audiobooks have become hugely popular in recent years for people who don’t have the time to read but want to read whilst doing their everyday activities like driving, cooking, etc.

Simply put, ask yourself what is the end goal of reading a book? Reading a book for the sake of reading it won’t get you too far and seldom will you reap the benefits of being a well-read person. Buy some books. When you do invest money into something, you will more likely use it. When you do spend money on books, you’ll want to read them. Take time to read 30 minutes daily to read your books.

Books can feel primitive in the modern digital age, but nothing will ever contain such concrete information on a subject while demanding your full attention the way a book does.

If you want long-lasting wisdom, pick up a classic or something that will truly provide quality to your life. We all have the same amount of time every day. If it is important, we will take the time.