Why People Read Less And Less
- Scott
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4068
- Joined: 31 Jul 2006, 23:00
- Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
- Bookshelf Size: 340
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scott.html
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
- Publishing Contest Votes: 960
Why People Read Less And Less
by Scott Hughes
Polls keep showing that more and more people in today's world read less and less. Some recent polls estimated that about 25% of United States families did not read a book in the last year. I have even seen some studies put the number as high as 80%.
Many factors contribute to the lowering reading rates. I will list some of the most major ones.
Television - Though television may seem simple in comparison to more elaborate technology, it did not even become commercially available until the 1930s. Nowadays, you can find televisions all over the place. Almost every household in the developed world has one or more. Families eat dinner in front of them instead of at a table. Time put towards television has replaced time put towards sports, family games, study, and of course reading. The addictive television appeals to our laziness, sloth, and short-sightedness. Instead of stimulating our mind with books, we choose to rot our minds in front of a television. Ironically, in the long-term, the reader often feels more fulfilled and happy than the TV addict.
Faster-Paced Lifestyle - Our culture now centers around a constantly faster-paced lifestyle. People work longer hours and then rush through their stressful lives, with credit cards, fast-food, and speeding cars. When we do take a break for fun, we look for the impulsive thrills of drugs, alcohol or TV, rather than calmer, longer-running pleasures like reading.
Misplaced Values - We do not value education and intellectuality much anymore. Instead, we value entertainment and athletics. Perhaps it is because technology and development have eliminated a great deal of our need for intelligence. Perhaps we feel secure that our needs have been met and feel that we no longer need to work as a society towards major goals. As a result, we just want to lay back and gossip about Paris Hilton and cheer for our favorite sports team.
Whatever the reasons, most people in our society have given up on reading for the most part. If you don't already, I encourage you to consider reading more. Also, consider slowing your life down, giving up television, and reassessing your values. Consider giving up unhealthy and short-term pleasures like television for long-term pleasures like reading. In 5 years, will you wish you watched more television, or will you wish you read more?
Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!
About the Author: Scott Hughes owns and operates OnlineBookClub.org which is a website about books and reading. You can discuss books, reading, and related topics at the Book and Reading Forums. It's completely free to join and participate.
What do you think?
"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 13 Nov 2007, 15:05
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Life is faster than ever before but we always rise to the challenge and looking for a good book to retreat into is something more of us do than publishers think. Rather than looking at society would it not be more sensible to look at the state of the publishing industry? The domination of tje publishing industry by global conglomerates like Viacom has turned the publishing industry into a susage-factory process which needs to have sausages.
The odd, exquisite one may pop up by mistake but the majority are uniformly processed reader-fodder aimed at satisfying the gift-buying urge for the 'person who has everything' and not really explore new worlds, stretch our minds or challenge our views.
Now if some way could be found to bypass the publishing industry and create a more democratic forum for publising where a book sank or rose by merit of its quality judged by those whe read it, well, you may find that we have an entirely different story.
-
- Posts: 90
- Joined: 05 May 2007, 10:06
- Bookshelf Size: 0
A few years ago after I have my crap together, I thought to myself, "how come no one reads anymore?" I never hear about anyone reading and all the books I see look stupid. Well, I thought, I miss reading so I am going to start again and not care what other people think. The more and more I began to read and find books that I liked, I discovered that reading is NOT a lost art. I just didn't have a lot of people around me who did it.
Now I find a lot of things about reading that I never knew existed. I don't think it is a lost art, I just think no one does it as much. Erin
- Scott
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4068
- Joined: 31 Jul 2006, 23:00
- Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
- Bookshelf Size: 340
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scott.html
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
- Publishing Contest Votes: 960
Thanks,
Scott
"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
-
- Posts: 90
- Joined: 05 May 2007, 10:06
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- awelker
- Posts: 1025
- Joined: 02 Oct 2006, 20:03
- Bookshelf Size: 0
http://www.shelfari.com/awelker
-
- Posts: 90
- Joined: 05 May 2007, 10:06
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- awelker
- Posts: 1025
- Joined: 02 Oct 2006, 20:03
- Bookshelf Size: 0
http://www.shelfari.com/awelker
-
- Posts: 90
- Joined: 05 May 2007, 10:06
- Bookshelf Size: 0
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 10 Jun 2008, 17:48
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Abagayle
- Posts: 57
- Joined: 19 Jun 2008, 11:02
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Grrrrrr.
- Eric
- Posts: 120
- Joined: 16 Apr 2008, 06:14
- Bookshelf Size: 0
One of my best friends is a video game addict and it really annoys me. Instead of doing something fun when I hang out at his house, he wants to play Guitar Hero for several hours. Even worse, his two kids, aged 12 and 6, seem to have handheld video games glued to their hands.
- Abagayle
- Posts: 57
- Joined: 19 Jun 2008, 11:02
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- blue_doona32
- Posts: 111
- Joined: 07 Jun 2008, 22:44
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Its hard being a book lover in today's world. We're a dying breed, but fortunatly, its never too late to start. I'm not talking about reading 20 books a month, but people should realize the value of other people's thoughts and the value of a simple book. I'm glad my father read to me when I was very young. He was the guide that lead me to the inspiration I found in books. Many younger kids don't have imaginations because they have all they could want from TV. When people ask me where I get ideas and inspiration from, its usually always from a book I read in the past.
I'm also sad to say that I am part of my high school's book club (technically a nerdy thing in any generation, by anyone's standards, but I could care less), and people just gawk at the kind of books I do read, or how fast I read them. Its nothing acomplishing (that I'm an avid reader), but its because they don't realize that books are like air to me. I'm dissappointed in the youth of today because older people keep saying we are the future. Quite frankly, that scares me. Kids these days have no idea who people like Plato, Steinbeck, Dante, Socrates, Salinger, and so many more wonderful authors are, and they could care less. Its a frightening idea to behold.
I pity those who are governed by children from my generation.
- Pappy
- Posts: 96
- Joined: 23 Mar 2008, 17:21
- Bookshelf Size: 0
My friends don't read, my parents and brother don't read, my co-workers don't read. Reading is a) expensive and b) time consuming. But when you think about how much time you put toward reading vs. the cost (if you strip it to per hour division anyway) it isn't that bad. I don't get it, myself. Great books are out there, still being written so why not try to read them?