1. Reading really hasn't changed overmuch for me since I was a child. I would say that both adulthood and our modern world, in terms of technology, now have many more distractions. When I was a child, I would read for hours at a time- I remember finishing the last Harry Potter book the day I brought it home with full comprehension. I can no longer read that way- instead, guilt of things I should be doing or the urge to check my phone pulls me out of the book. I have been trying to retrain my brain to read like I used to, but it's been a struggle!
I don't feel that my formats have changed. I'll check out an e-book on a very rare occasion, which is something I wouldn't have been able to do as a child, but I don't really like them. I never do this for novels, but instead will do things where I don't intend on reading something cover-to-cover, like a cook book or one with DIY project suggestions. I have never liked audiobooks and don't think I ever will, digital or otherwise.
2. Based on what I see everyday, I think it will take a very long time for publishing to change. The majority of readers that I assist every day prefer physical books over digital, although I definitely know several kids that like e-audiobooks.
What I like about people that I am close to is that I know a lot of different types of readers. My very good friend absolutely adores the library's e-book collection and will avidly read novels on her phone. Other people I know stick mainly to graphic novels, which have surged in popularity lately- I think this is important, since many of them are quicker reads than a traditional novel, so it's a faster and different way to absorb a story and appreciate art. I think graphic novels will continue to grow in popularity.
Although there are a lot of interactive options for reading, especially with digital picture books that have things that children can interact with, I don't forsee this replacing traditional books. I personally do not know a single parent that would choose this as a reading option to share with their child- they might offer it as an option when they could not read together, such as an activity to do in a car or when a child gets some time with a tablet, but the vast majority of people I know would prefer to read a physical book aloud. I do see the advantages of this type of story for children to use by themselves, especially since they can still learn literacy this way, but reading and sharing a story together is something that will never go out of style.
I think that people will continue to read more and more. We live in an age where people, especially younger people, are becoming more and more aware of how reading well and finding quality information can make a big difference. People have been reading since the invention of language, and humans have always told stories to each other- I don't think that will ever change.
Dear Amy,
ReplyDeleteI also read the last Harry Potter novel on the day that it came out. It took roughly nine hours to read the entire book. However, I skimmed through part of the novel, since it was boring. I find it odd that you are distracted by guilt when you read books. You may feel that reading books are pointless in relation to accomplishing other tasks in life. When you were younger, you may have felt that there was meaning in reading books. You might have felt that acquiring knowledge from the books or experiencing a sense of immersion through a series of relatable events was meaningful to you. Nevertheless, I can only guess why you feel guilt over reading books in the present time, as opposed to not feeling guilty when you read books in your youth. Also, if you find a purpose to an activity, you will likely not feel guilty for accomplishing the activity.
In addition, I find it strange that you are distracted by your phone. I’m hardly distracted by my phone at all when I read materials. Do you have a smartphone? I can only believe that you would be distracted by updates or comments from your friends’ social media accounts or texts from your friends. I also agree that there are many more distractions with technology in our modern world. I guess I avoid a number of those distractions by recognizing the purpose of certain technologies. For instance, I recognize a phone for calling or contacting others. The phone is not used to distract one’s self with maintaining a connection with other individuals.
In addition, it’s intriguing that you don’t appreciate audiobooks. I find that audiobooks are highly useful and interesting during long trips, but it might be a matter of taste. Also, I believe that graphic novels are surging in popularity, since individuals have been influenced by the highly visual mediums of television and the internet. Individuals wish to visualize books, and they can’t stand reading plain text and imagining the events in their minds. So, the individuals read graphic novels to satisfy their need for visual content.
Amy, I agree--I don't think reading or publishing habits are going to change much. I think that we put too much store in the power of technology--it changes the WAY we do things, but not the fact that we do those things. People harp on social media because it 'doesn't allow for proper connections,' but I can say that social media has been a gamechanger for me in terms of fostering connections. Tech in reading is the same; the way we read might change a bit, but the fact that we read won't.
ReplyDeletefull points
ReplyDelete