It’s illiteracy, stupid!
First it they couldn’t read cursive. Now they can’t read at all.
The heavy use of electronics rewires the brain. My understanding is that the brain becomes so habituated to the rapid fire input and then everything at normal speed becomes boring to people.
I’ve heard TV referred to as the plug in drug. And I would throw in the internet, too.
I still love to sit down with a good book, however.
Always enjoyed reading, Sherlock Holmes was my first book. My aunt was a teacher and lived only a block away, she taught me to read before 1st grade.
I enjoy the radio more now, many sites have old radio stories, Mystery Theatre from the 70s, Sherlock Holmes from the 40s and 50s, Orson Wells. More classic authors also being read, by AI. Great stuff.
BTTT
A fascinating 11 minute video on why people have stopped reading by YouTuber Jared Henderson...
https://youtu.be/A3wJcF0t0bQ?feature=shared
Well worth the watch.
Pay special attention to the bit on reading stamina.
TL;DR
If you stop reading books it’s your own darn fault.
Most people just want the summary and/or conclusions. They don’t want to reason it out for themselves. The problem is they are subject to bias and deception.
The only room in my house without any books is the bathroom and that’s only because of the steam.
Many of my fellow millennials have no books at all, and a few say they’ve never read one.
Meanwhile my parents have many thousands of books; they used to keep an inventory but in the past few years they simply photograph the shelves. When I need a particular book it’s quicker to go to them, rather than Google. “Yeah, we got that.” (I also hear a review I can trust.)
I still have my cards to get into the Library of Congress, Princeton’s Firestone Library, and a few other good resources, just in case. :)
used to read a fair amount. Now the only reading I do is referring to past books I have read and reference material.
Part of the reasons for reduced reading is the internet habit but also reduce eyesight quality do to age takes the enjoyment out of reading.
Parents should ban smartphones until their kids get a job and they can pay for the cell phone bill themselves.
Oh, MY
In 1989, I was in the People’s Republic of San Francisco State University. It was the last semester of my undergraduate degree. During the previous semester I was told there was one requirement that I had not fulfilled. A writing/essay course. Even though I had been writing papers for years, this class was one of the unavoidable requirements. Since I already enjoyed writing, I just took a positive attitude and enrolled.
Most of the other students in this class were much younger than my 35 years. I had left college previously, and returned to finish undergrad and pursue graduate school. I was amazed, and perhaps appalled, as some in the class were struggling with basic grammar. Forget paragraph and essay structure. Some of them had trouble with subject and verb. Direct and indirect objects might as well been Martian.
The professor was really very good, but she had been teaching so long, she could not, or would not, address the gaps in these students writing abilities. I ended up helping quite a few after class. Some got it, others did not. If this was happening in 1989, I can only imagine what it is like now.