Why People Read Less And Less

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CharlotteWolf
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Re: Why People Read Less And Less

Post by CharlotteWolf »

I think that may be part of the reason, but personally, I believe that it's due to the fact that the people of this generation have never been taught to read regularly before bed or anything like that, but rather watch television for hours before bed.
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Linda7228
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Post by Linda7228 »

I think it has a lot to do with our lifestyle nowadays, we run around trying to do so much things and when we finally have time off we spend it watching our favorite TV shows or checking our Facebook status that reading has decreased so much as a hobby that people don't think it's necessary or important and It's really just sad because they have no idea what they're are missing the power of our imagination is greater than any TV show, video game or social media out there.
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Post by cbmatte07 »

I find it a shame. I encourage books with my kids in a world where books are slowly being weened out and made to be historical artifacts. On an intellectual level who needs a book anymore when there is enough technology to just show you in 2D, 3D, 4D. Downtime means watching television, playing on the ipad or smartphone or playing video games. Another reason for it I would say, books do not generate enough money to be of very much value anymore when you can get them second hand or borrow them for free from the library. For some it is a factor of not enough time in a day to indulge in a book or lack of attention span to finish one. As an avid reader I cannot fathom such excuses. There is always time to read wether on break at work, just before bed, waiting at the doctor's office, anywhere. I enjoy my share of movies and tv shows for a visual experience, but for the health of my brain I will always have a book on hand. I would much rather a book over a television any day. When technology fails at least I will have a book in hand. IT can hold a journey, facts, secrets. ideas, instructions, advice...everything you need.
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Post by Flu2reader »

i think that like someone said time is a big factor - so many people are working multiple jobs or work longer hours or have fifteen million obligations etc etc. but i wonder sometimes if the way that we process information isn't a big key. look at most websites - every time a site is upgraded it doubles the amount of information on the page you aren't just looking at one post or one article you are looking at five (or really snippets of five). when you play video games twelve things are happening at once. when you are working you are expected to multi-task and are praised for the increasing amount of balls you can juggle at one time. i know people who even when they are watching television are listening to music, washing a load of clothes, cooking dinner and painting their toenails. if one is doing all of those things how easy is it for someone to sit down and focus on a book (even when they enjoy it?) how often do they give themselves the permission to just sit and be with whatever world their book occupies? even for us readers how many different books are we reading at one time? are we relishing the works that we read like a fine meal or are we simply snacking? and if we are snacking (not that there is anything wrong with that but again it is a different type of reading) can we expect others to read? kinda makes me sad.....
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Post by book_first_love »

Television and Internet have killed reading to a huge extent!
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Post by ALynnPowers »

There are so many other things to do these days. People are too "busy."
Internet, video games, social media, texting, TV... there are just way too many options for hobbies. Reading is just one of many options that people can choose from.
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Post by noobslayer975 »

they dont have to read to find out what happens. With technology advancing all someone needs a computer to stream a movie or a summary
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Post by rssllue »

Microwave society. Reading is a slow cooker activity.
~ occupare fati suffocavit

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Cenna
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Post by Cenna »

I feel like people don't have the patience to find a book they would really enjoy. To sift through titles, read through summaries, begin to read a book (only to find it's not quite what they imagined) and then start all over again? It's easier to play games, to watch television or movies. Those can instantly hold their attention and if they don't like it, they quickly jump to the next one. I think (too many) kids now see reading more of a chore. It's a slow medium in our fast past society.
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Post by Michelle-lit »

From my experience, the people in life who do not read usually claim that it takes too much time and resort to tv and video games for their leisure activities. I think in today's schools, a lot of children struggle with reading and connect the activity to failure and decide not to pursue it and become adults who choose not to read.

Personally, in elementary school, I was teased and pressured not to read. Our society has created a negative association with reading, or at least it isn't promoted as much as tv and sports.

-- 19 Oct 2014, 05:17 --
rssllue wrote:Microwave society. Reading is a slow cooker activity.
Good one :)
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Post by lizj97 »

I know I won't miss television. I love to read and do that for most of my spare time every day. For me reading is not a lost art. I also love talking about the books I read and sharing the experience with all of my new, soon to be friends here at this book club.
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Post by SharisseEM »

I think it could be a fast-paced lifestyle. Where I was born, it was always about studying hard, getting a good job and working even harder. Education is everything there and it was even voted as the most or one of the most expensive cities. Everyone's working to have money to survive that they don't have time to read. They would rather use their free time to go out and balance their social life with their work life. And when I was much younger (think single to just entering double digit age), it just wasn't normal to want to sit in a corner and read. I didn't have cable then and they were all talking about shows I've never even heard of so what I did was read. Hell, I was even bullied for speaking proper English back then! Apparently, no one understood what I was saying and so I learned to "code switch" when talking to them but speaking properly has served me well.
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Post by irene8yang »

Hi Scott. Thanks for posting this. I think personally, I used to love reading as a young child because growing up in South Africa was a really dangerous place. Outdoors was not an option and so my greatest adventures occurred through the characters I read in books. Furthermore, I learnt a lot about topic my parents never discuss with me such as the birds and the bees and it was a less daunting and less dangerous way that through internet as I soon discovered. I feel like as a young child, reading offered no boundaries to your mind and reading made things easier to understand. However, now that I am studying a double degree full time and working on the weekends, I find I have so little time to read that I barely can get through a book over a year. Time is diminished so quickly and I'm waiting for the day I don't have to work long hours and can instead really get a good read.
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Post by jgreen11 »

This is a topic straight from my soul. It looks to me as if the research says that we're allowing our lives to be too busy, too full of instant gratification to be able to sit down and enjoy the peaceful pleasures of life (like reading), and I agree 100%! My choir teacher said a few days ago that we as a society rarely get peace and quiet. I agree with that, too. With music in the car, children yelling, and tv's blaring, it's surprising we've lived so long with so much clutter. My goal is to find quiet every day, and to live a more simple life. Hopefully with the help of this website's encouragement, I'll find time every day to read, as well.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
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Post by bradybunch84 »

Cell phones, tv's everywhere, electronic devices made to carry. We are being distracted from ourselves. We are not stopping to think anymore.
a wonderful companion in solitude - (a book)
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