Why is there a loss of interest in reading?

[McGrain]

Nice post everyone. When I was a kid, reading was all about total immersion in another world. Independant of things being "good" or "bad" I loved visiting other places/times/reality so a love of fiction developed into a love of history and then a love of words.

Video games are better for total immersion in another reality. I love to read, but i'm not sure, in all honesty, if that would be the case had i been brought into it ten years later than i was, slap bang in the middle of the video games revolution (second gen where the graphics begin to compete with the type of computer animation you see in Finding Nemo).

There will always be a place for books, and for reading. I am quite convinced that the "well" of creativity begins with the written word (see Lovecraft, who didn't even believe in writing, or religious texts from way back when - they can't all have been written by devine intervention people that would mean everyone was wrong as well as right!) but i think we're just going to have to accept that it's on the wane.

[Manchegan]

This may have already been said, as I only read the first page and a half of posts (I can't be bothered to work for my information unless I'm immediately rewarded ), but I wonder if this trend really real or imagined...

For most of history, very few people have been literate. Those who were were the sophisticated intellectuals, capable of appreciating art as well as science and news.

Then litaracy exploded and everyone was able to learn about general science and keep abreast of current events and enjoy some entertaining stories. Print was the only medium for spreading these ideas, so laymen read. Society advanced a great deal thanks to literacy.

But now, General information can be gleamed from TV, radio, the internet - so the lay men has no real use for books. I could be wrong, but I'd wagr that the percentage of folks who enjoy reading classic fiction has probably stayed the same or risen over the last hundred years.

[kelby_lake]

Loads of people read. They just read dross.

Everything is commercial trash these days.

[fb0252]

ah. that's it for me. I read constantly these days, but on the computer. books just further the eye strain, which is regrettable.

may we surmise that substantive analytic reading is confined to certain IQ ranges. I'd doubt those "above the level" read any less than they ever have, although what they are reading probably has changed. gone are the days when literature was the sole entertainment. the canterbury tales are great, but, who would bother that now, and if they did, who would read it?

[wat??]

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.

Hmmm well... I think that your attitude might be to blame for the "loss of interest in reading".

read·ing (rdng)
n.
1. The act or activity of one that reads.

Alright so!

read (rd)
v. read (rd), read·ing, reads
v.tr.
1. To examine and grasp the meaning of (written or printed characters, words, or sentences).
2. To utter or render aloud (written or printed material):

!!!

book (bk)
n.
1. A set of written, printed, or blank pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers.

Riveting!

So it seems that in fact looking at the letters on a page of a romance novel, or other "fluff" is by definition "reading". Who'da thunk huh? As for your bolded text; "there's something for everyone", but if that something is too low brow for 'YOU' then it's not actually reading?

I'll never understand you intellectual types.

[Zee.]

I personally think that blaming the loss of interest in "reading" on technology, is a little wrong. I personally think it has a lot to do with how you were raised, and your environment when you were younger. I'm a technology nut. Ipods, phones, computers, i love them all - but that doesn't get in the way of my reading. I personally think that you can't just "lose an interest" in reading. You may run out of time to read, not be able to find a book you'd be interested in reading, but lose interest in reading as a whole? no, i don't think that's possible. Therefore, i think the "problem" if you want to call it that, is that it's not so much a "loss of interest" in reading people are experiencing, but the new generation just hasn't been condition as much, to have an interest in reading.

I grew up with books - I was introduced to them from a very early age, and that stuck with me ( i'm 18 now ) in comparison, my younger brother ( 11 ) was raised .. pretty much, drowning in technology. I mean, he has a damn facebook. He has absolutely no interest in reading.

[mal4mac]

Video games are better for total immersion in another reality.

Can you point me to a video game that can place me into Shakespeare's reality?

Some people blame the "Canon" for the problem--(boring?) books written by white men--long ago--no longer relevant and not originally intended for children in the first place. At school we learned about alternatives, adolescent lit., well written books that today's kids can relate to. We also learned about graphic novels (like Comics) and Manga, which are very popular--think Heros. When I began teaching in New York, I found these books were already commonly in use, and the kids seem to enjoy them for the most part.

Of course they enjoy them! Like popcorn... But can't they, don't they, read them at home anyway?

Fortunately my English teachers stuck to the canon, and picked well from it. A close reading of Macbeth turned me on to literature for life.

[Ines Amri]

yes , it's quite true ! without reading "canon" literature, one can never be aquainted with English literature! Actually, I'm a F.l.S student and now I'm specialised in English literature, I admit that Macbeth (for me too) was the first book that made me fall in love with literature and Shakespeare ! Although it seems difficult and fathomable sometimes, canonical writings are the basics !

[African_Love]

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.

I don't understand how anyone can not like to read either. For some people, I think they don't mind reading but it never really occurred to them to go out of their way to read books for their own pleasure rather than for school, they have so much other stuff to do. Maybe it just never occurs to them to think of reading as entertainment. I wouldn't mind having a playstation or an X-box but if I had one, I wouldn't know which games to buy and I already have something that keeps me entertained so I don't really see the need to go out of my way to get one. I hope that made sense.

For people who just don't enjoy reading, I don't know what went wrong with them, lol.

A reason for this i believe is that they have identified reading with school.

Good point! I always hated learning about a topic I enjoyed for school. Reading (fiction) is not "educational" for me, I do it for fun.

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.

I think reading is on the same level as oral story telling. In both cases, unlike visual stimulation, one has to imagine the scenario described rather than view an already presented image. The love for story is in our blood, myths and legends are universal to all cultures.

[Homers_child]

I don't think the decline of interest in reading can be blamed on technology per se. I'm on the computer most of my days, and I'd marry my iPod if I could. But that doesn't stop me from reading. If I had to choose between the three, I'd probably choose books.

I think there are a couple factors that contribute to kids not wanting to read. One of those is of course school. The literature they make you read in school is not bad. Like others have said, Macbeth is actually what sparked my interest in Shakespeare! I remember sitting there and just smiling to myself saying it was absolutely genius. But while I was entranced, everyone else groaned as they opened their textbooks every day. I think it was difference in mindset. I looked at it as I was exploring a famous play and it must have held some magic within it to be so great, and I found that magic. Others went into it thinking it was 'work', it was 'forced'. It was hard language that didn't offer immediate understanding.

That leads me to my next point. In our society we like to have things 'immediately'. We need our entertainment fast and easy to comprehend. Books take patience. It might take a few days to a few weeks to make your way through a book and discover the end. Kids nowadays are used to seeing the end and climax throughout a 2 hour movie.

And also.. kids just really can't read nowadays. In high school, before I moved up into the higher ranked English classes, I was appalled that my fellow students didn't know how to read. When we had to read aloud, they seriously had trouble recognizing even the most simple words. It really got me worried.

[Eryk]

People are reading, but thanks to the internet few people are reading anything longer than a few hundred words. The internet is changing the way we read and think.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

[African_Love]

People are reading, but thanks to the internet few people are reading anything longer than a few hundred words. The internet is changing the way we read and think.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

I'm thankful for the internet. There's a lot you can research that you couldn't otherwise. Besides, you can read e-books on here as well.

[Kafka's Crow]

Reading is the only one 'old habit' that is successfully [sp?] withstanding all technological, social and educational onslaughts. Bookstores are still thriving though big high street chains have replaced the small shops, number of books churned out by the 'publishing industry' was never higher. It is a misconception that reading is in decline. What we are witnessing is the result of democtisation of society in general and education in particular. The classes (if I am still allowed this word) that had no representation in the past, nor any voice, are not only most visible, they are rubbing shoulders with the so-called 'better' or intellectual classes, over-shadowing them and putting them in awe with their, how should I put it mildy, eh, difference. Their "difference" is rubbed off onto the so-called thoughtful people of yesteryears, resulting in 'dumbing-down' of the society, but on the other hand, more and more people are learning good habits, reading in particular, from the once cloistered intellectuals, resulting in a hike in book sales and production. Reading is thriving alongside poker, baseball, WWE, Nascar, Premiership Football, East Enders, Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Facebook, Youtube, Lit.net, Pirate Bay, Ebay, iPods, iPhones, Nintendo Wii and even PS3 and PSP! This is the amazing complexity of our postmodern situation and I love it this way. People are reading books, online books, ebooks, audiobooks. Figures from the publishing industry are proof of this. Only time will tell whether the huge amounts of books churned out these days and available online were worth the dead trees or bandwidth or not but they do exist and this should not be a bad thing from our point of view.

[Dinkleberry2010]

I think there are more people reading now than ever before. I think there are more books being read than ever before. There are definitely more books being published than ever before. The quality of the reading and the books is another matter entirely.

[Katy North]

Hello all! I'm really excited to find a bunch of read-aholics like me!

First of all, I must say that I think there are more readers out there than one might think... but that since reading is considered uncool and because many readers are so shy they might not make great conversationalists (I know that in real life I tend to speak quietly in monotone. It would be so much more easier to write to communicate with people!)

Something else I should say is that it's important to realize that

a) probably there are no more and no less people reading the classics than there were before throughout history. Just, before, people had less education and motive to read. I know I'm young, so maybe before the advent of the TV there was a brief golden age of reading, but if you consider how many people were illiterate before all kids went to school regularly, I doubt there's been a serious decline in readers in the US of A.

b) remember, once the great authors were popular literature too! Charles Dickens was the JK Rowling of his time. I might get burned for this on this forum, but consider... 100 years from now so many movies and even some video games might be considered "classic" literature. That's why there are now film professors in some colleges.

c) I am hoping to go back to school for my masters and Ph.d. in English. It is my goal to make literature "marketable" for young people. While English and writing is not a dying discipline, literature is slowly becoming unnecessary for people attending college. There has got to be a way to make people interested in literature again, and I believe that the key to it lies in teaching students that literature can teach them so many things about themselves and modern society as a whole. I firmly believe that I have better character because I read the books I did growing up... starting with C.S. Lewis and Brian Jaques and advancing to Dickesn, Dostoevsky, and Austen.

And now my two year old son is continuing the tradition to... I read him "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and "Madeline" and he "reads" the books back to me... I'm already hard at work teaching the next generation of readers