Why People Read Less And Less

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Megan394
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Re: Why People Read Less And Less

Post by Megan394 »

I always wish I had more time for reading. My life does seam to run at a faster pace and I often lose track of time. For people who truly want read find the time. You can read on a computer, kindle, nook, cell phone, or even a hard copy. There is no excuse, you can read just about anywhere now.
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Post by lady_charlie »

A few years back I remembered that I used to like to read. I started reading at night to fall asleep.
Now I am reading several books a month and really enjoying learning from all of you.
It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. J.R.R. Tolkien
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vovolicious
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Post by vovolicious »

I think people read less and less because they live a fast paced lifestyle.
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Post by BookCollecting101 »

I started reading at about 4 when my Mom bought me my first book - a collection or Edgar Allen Poe stories and poems. She had been reading poetry to us for years and I always loved the Raven - which is why she selected the Poe book. I have wondered if my early exposure to Poe helped make me into the person I am today. Once I started reading, I discovered there was a LOT more to the world than the small Southern town I grew up in. There is a quote "Whoever says they have but one life to live must not know how to read". I have visited cities, jungles, ancient sites, other worlds and even deep space. I have met thousands of folks I would never have had the opportunity to meet let alone understand their thought processes and motivations. I have experienced jobs, had vacations, on and on.

I don't think it is "fashionable" to tell students about the wonders of reading. Schools seem to have other priorities. When I was in school - a million years ago - the object was to turn out a well rounded person. My impression is today's schools are fancy babysitters who let the children and parents dictate what they learn.

If a child never learns the joy of reading - the enormous amount of experiences waiting for them - they are going to turn to the cool thing of the moment - at this point video games and texting... when they could be wrapped up in a wonderful book. It is a shame - a real shame...
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Post by Loveabull »

I think it just represents the dumbing down of our culture in America. People glued to their electronic gadgets. I play on the forum as a break sometimes but also possibly one of the few people in the state without even a cell phone. Rarely I'll watch TV with the family, It's pathetic really...watching people channel surf...sailing through 300 stations in search of something decent to watch? I remember when there were SEVEN channels on the television and at around midnight they all shut down till early morning. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Spelling and handwriting are barely addressed in school anymore. Seems to me that a lot of people out there are too engrossed in their electronic entertainment to pick up a book and think...it's sad
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Post by Bighuey »

LB, I agree with that. Too much electronic gadgets. I remember when we first got TV, there was only one station at first, and two more a little later. For a long time they didnt come on until about 4 in the afternoon and went off around midnight.But there was always something good to watch. Now you can get 150 channels or more, maybe a handful are worth watching. I know I read a lot then, TV didnt seem that important. Ive got a cell phone, as there is no land line service in our colony. But I rarely use it, I keep it in the car for emergencies. I signed up for Dish not long ago, mainly for news as theres no broadcast TV here. But the rest of the channels are not up to much. Same stuff over and over again. But a lot of people watch that crap 24-7. Of all my kids and grandkids, my one granddaughter is the only one who reads. Maybe reading is a lost art.
"I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I dont know what to feed it." Ramblings of a retired senile mind.
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Post by Loveabull »

It's a parent's influence as well, maybe not 100% but it certainly helps. I believe if there is a wide variety of reading material in the house, going to the library is a weekly fun event, parents read to their kids every day and most important that kids see their parents reading for pleasure...patronizing school book fairs and bookstores...that's how one creates a new generation of readers...I see families in the store and everyone is gazing at their screens or on their phones...that's not family time, that's everyone gazing into their own screens or talking on the phone. :(
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Post by Gannon »

Loveabull wrote:It's a parent's influence as well, maybe not 100% but it certainly helps. I believe if there is a wide variety of reading material in the house, going to the library is a weekly fun event, parents read to their kids every day and most important that kids see their parents reading for pleasure...patronizing school book fairs and bookstores...that's how one creates a new generation of readers...I see families in the store and everyone is gazing at their screens or on their phones...that's not family time, that's everyone gazing into their own screens or talking on the phone. :(
Totally agree Loveabull. :D
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Post by jool »

Although I agree that the declining rate of readers among youngsters and adolescents is worrying, I think we should also take some other explanations into account and not only the one about television, video games and the modern culture.

There are some people who have serious problems with reading and when they struggle with it. And his whole "bookworm" culture, priding themselves on reading tons of books, doesn't encourage them to read. I think we should not consider those who read books to be better than those who don't. It's as simple as that.
Personally, I know people who don't read because it is hard for them to focus on it. They get too distracted. But nevertheless, they are very intelligent and they don't lack anything as human beings. Still, the fact that those reading elites underline how important it is to read and how smart it makes you, depresses them and makes them feel guilty about them not reading. And it's not fair.

Although I do believe that the complete lack of reading, which originates from the fact that people find it boring, outdated and simple unnecessary, is a disaster. And the consequences of it are really depressing. From what I observe, the adolescents and children are getting really (sorry, but I believe that's the only suitable word) stupid. They sit all day in shopping malls with their fancy iPhones and hang around the shops in search of the most fashionable clothes. Something is wrong. And I am not that old (I'm only 21 ;) ) and yet I remember the times when playing outdoors with your friends was the best way to spend your free time. Nobody cared about those clothes or gadgets. So I'm a bit worried about the future..
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Post by cheza »

vovolicious wrote:I think people read less and less because they live a fast paced lifestyle.
^--I agree with this. The brutal economy (anywhere) does not help others that DO want to read books, but cannot afford to do so.

I think if a lot of things were free (education), there would be more books read. I don't think technology is a factor, as many can see from the production of Kindles and Nooks alike.
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Post by faceman3535 »

I agree that people have to run all over the place and they don't have time to relax and read. When they do have time most people decide to watch TV instead of read a book. It is sad, I believe I get more entrainment by reading a book and using my imagination instead of sitting in front of the TV and having my imagination slowly sucked out of my brain as it seems to happen to more and more children these days. Kids read more books and save your imagination.
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Post by fitzml »

Great points - I couldn't agree more. I continue to be amazed by how many hours of television people consume each day, especially now when during an hour program you'll get 45 minutes (it seems) of commercials. I'm sure laziness has a lot to do with it. After a particularly stressful day, I've just wanted to "veg out" for awhile sometimes by watching something mindless. I've also noticed that busy, stressed out parents have a greater tendency to park their kids in front of the television for hours and are less discriminating about what they're seeing and learning.

I also suspect that social stigma could be a factor in why people don't read. Reading and intellectual pursuits have never been considered "cool" in my neck of the woods. Even people I know who do enjoy reading are reluctant to admit it publicly. I'm also noticing this trend among college students/graduates, which is very disturbing. It makes me wonder how they ever survived college since that requires a lot of reading. Cliff Notes maybe?

Worse still, reading is generally a solitary pursuit. That's anathema in this age of social media where talking is more highly valued than listening and non-stop interaction is more important than analysis and reflection.
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Post by tanfun »

Modern technology has ruined reading, even for me and im a book worm :,(
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Post by Senserial_Publishing »

There could be many reasons(or excuses) for someone who doesn't read. The most common is maybe the lack of time.
Yes, we live in a rushed time, some people work two jobs etc. but even in this case, you could probably find 1-2 hours a week to open a book.
The TV and Internet are also big factors, especially for the young people.
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Post by AliceRose »

If you really want to make time for reading, then you will. I usually manage about an hour a day, although that is significantly less than what I used to read before my son was born.

For children nowadays, teenagers especially, I think a lot of them are worried of being seen as "geeky", (I know when I was at school people were pretty harsh on those who liked to read). There are so many other things to do now, all this social media stuff is taking over! I think it's just important that we teach our children the value of reading a good book from a young age and encourage them to read. Sad the way the world is going :(
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