Why is there a loss of interest in reading?

[andave_ya]

I live in California, and I know very few people here who actually enjoy reading, especially if they're high schoolers. Why? And I very rarely consider romance actual reading; mostly they're fluff, excluding classics like Jane Eyre or Austen. It's not that people can't read, it's just that they honestly don't enjoy it. One reason is, I daresay, that they don't think there would be material they like. I know for a fact that this is untrue, because I have a friend who didn't read a lot because she didn't know what to read. Between me and the library, she found a niche. What is behind it all? Is it really because of video games, cell phones, ipods, computers, etc.?

For me, to not like reading is unfathomable. There is sooooo much to be found in books, it is incomprehensible to dislike them, especially considering that there is something for everyone. If I with my notoriously eclectic tastes can find enough material, then so can anyone else.

[Neo_Sephiroth]

Really? There are very few people that enjoys reading? Are you sure? This is Lit-Net, you know.

[andave_ya]

In California, I mean. Excluding you, of course, Neo, and my fellow lit-netters. Incidentally, are there a lot of Californian bookworms around here? I'll say beforehand, I'm proud to be a part of the same community.

[B-Mental]

I think it has to do with all of the distractions out there... reading is probably the least rapid method of entertainment. A

[manolia]

Most people i know consider reading as a boring habit. A reason for this i believe is that they have identified reading with school. Moereover reading is a process which needs some brain effort (and power). Well it's not like watching tv.

[Lyn]

I honestly think that people just can't be bothered to read. Sitting quietly in a room and actually concentrating on something they perhaps don't get straight away is considered boring. A lot people think that if something is a little bit difficult to understand then they can't be bothered to try, unless there is some obvious and visable reward for doing so.

[PeterL]

There never have been all that many people who enjoyed reading. There are many alternatives, and humans are desiged to take in words by hearing more than by seeing, so auditory stimulations is more popular.

[F.Emerald]

Moereover reading is a process which needs some brain effort (and power). Well it's not like watching tv.

It's precisely that. Kids think they get enough from learning at school, they can't be bothered to actually concentrate and learn something of their own accord, it really does take too much effort. Same reason as why the History or Discovery channels aren't as popular as brain-dead American sitcoms or an awful British soap (which I'm far more liable to watch, I'm lazy too...to a certain extent). Learning requires effort, and people are lazy, it's understandable. The benefits of reading are deemed worthless or too difficult to achieve, and for example, even though excercise requires effort, it is still more popular than reading etc. as it offers a superficial benefit.

[JBI]

Television. Also I would add that reading isn't perceived as "cool" now a days. If you look at the popular books, you will realize that the bulk of them really aren't that well written, or that they really don't have much to offer. I can't understand why people would read that stuff, but they do.

[omegaxx]

It's precisely that. Kids think they get enough from learning at school, they can't be bothered to actually concentrate and learn something of their own accord, it really does take too much effort. Same reason as why the History or Discovery channels aren't as popular as brain-dead American sitcoms or an awful British soap (which I'm far more liable to watch, I'm lazy too...to a certain extent). Learning requires effort, and people are lazy, it's understandable. The benefits of reading are deemed worthless or too difficult to achieve, and for example, even though excercise requires effort, it is still more popular than reading etc. as it offers a superficial benefit.

I agree. Reading good books does demand quite a number of brain cells.
Don't diss sitcoms though: I love those

[grace86]

I live in California, and I know very few people here who actually enjoy reading

andave I am in your exact position. Fellow Californian here who shares your exact sentiment. I don't know if anyone here reads. I think the reasons everyone has given are good ones. Especially here in CA, people want things faster, and that includes their entertainment. Books take too much time...

I think California (last time I checked) was 49th/50 in education. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, I am just speculating.

Glad to know there is another reader here...I think all of them reside here on LitNet.

[Redzeppelin]

I teach high school and it's terrifying how little the kids read. One look at their written expression immediately reveals that they've read very, very little. There's a lot of factors behind the decline in reading, but I think the primary one is that it's "work" - at least in terms of what it requires your brain to do. A good chunk of "screen entertainment" does not require your head to work like reading. In fact, reading is probably one of the most congnitively demanding things you can do. For practiced readers, reading may not seem like that much work - but for amatures? Yeah, it's tough. I'm really concerned because literacy is disappearing from our culture - kids don't have that catalogue of ideas and expressive tools that earlier generations had.

The end is near: repent (or better yet, read).

[metal134]

While I don't like Harry Potter, I think that the series has definitley done some good in getting kids to read. Maybe if there where more books of that ilk, kids would read more and would subsequently continue to read as adults. Is it a pipe dream? Maybe. But it's also a possibilty. The Harry Potter books alone can only do so much in getting kids to read, but it's a start.

[Logos]

While I don't like Harry Potter, I think that the series has definitley done some good in getting kids to read.

I agree. But generally I think reading has never been at the forefront of 'trends' or habits of the 9-20-something age group. Not enough instant gratification (If one reads too much they can get labeled 'weird' or anti-social by their parents or peers )

[Neo_Sephiroth]

Yep, I live in California too. But, honestly, loss of interest in reading isn't just a problem in California, but probably the entire country....It just so happen that California seems to be much more worse than the other states.

I remember while I was back in high school...I love reading and still do...But the other folks in school was like, "What? You like to read? What are you? Crazy?"

Then there was the work involved with reading, most students just want to get it over with. While I was analyzing and trying to understand to work of poets, writers, and such, the other students was willing to pass with a "D" or "C" grade.

It was very disappointing to hear my peers say such things as "It's just a stupid poem" and "Aww, man...It's my turn to read?"

Very disappointing...