The Future of Reading: Week 16 Prompt Response

When I was growing up, I constantly had a book in my hand.  Like most kids I clung to picture books, and then chapter books when I was in elementary school.  I loved going to the library throughout middle school and high school, too, perusing the adult mysteries and reference books, among other things.  From the time I was very young, I always sought to read above my age/grade level--I taught myself to read when I was 4 years old, and from that point on I wanted to be as mature a reader as I could possibly be.  Ever an avid learner, I wanted to understand things that were a little beyond my years, and I wanted to do that through reading books.  I didn't have much interest in newspapers, and I only occasionally read magazines.  Books were where I spent my time reading.

Now, as an adult, I have very different reasons for and ways of reading.  I still like learning new things, but much of the reading I do now is for pleasure.  Today reading is an escape from reality, or a way to relate to others like myself.  Whereas it was a private activity when I was growing up, reading is more of a social activity these days.  I use GoodReads and talk with others about great (or horrible) books I've read.  I enjoy hashing out the characteristics and merits of books, just as many people like to do with movies or TV shows.  My reading extends beyond print books now; I don't just learn or gain satisfaction from them.  I also read eBooks, stories and articles online, social media posts, and more.  My preferred medium is print books, but I do spend a lot of time reading other formats of writing, which I didn't do as a child.

Le Guin (2008) gives an excellent description of the print book that sums up my own thoughts about it:

"The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries.  It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind.  It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral.  It lasts.  It is reliable.  If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you're fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you're reading a whole new book." (p. 37).

Technology is constantly improving, and our ways of looking at and interacting with the world are constantly evolving.  Audiobooks and eBooks are being added to our libraries and bookstores by the thousands every day, and more people all the time are discovering the joys of the Kindle.  However, Le Guin's (2008) point about print books is a sentiment that has lasted since the first written words in history.  Some people might prefer print books over eBooks, or eBooks over print books.  Some people might be so fascinated with electronic devices that they think they want to leave printed books behind for good.  But the fact of the matter is, there's something so inherently special and desirable about print books that I can't see them ever disappearing for good.  There is a human compulsion to cling to the tangible, especially tangible things that display who we are (like books).  Even the most technology-obsessed person feels that compulsion...their devices are tangible "containers" of writing, after all.  Print books might change in physical composition in the future, being made of more environmentally-friendly paper or cheaper binding to keep up with the cost-efficiency of eBooks; but they will still be produced and consumed with fervor.  eBooks and other book formats are merely different kinds of packaging for the same stories as print books.  We aren't content to just share stories and information verbally anymore, so as long as we are still human there will still be a variety of book formats, including print.

Since we are still human and we do still have an obsession with recording our world, our lives, and our history, I think that reading will still be prevalent in the future.  The trend over time has been that, as more people gain access to education and literacy skill-building, more people read.  I think this trend will continue into the future.  The more our world changes, the more people will want to know, and that knowledge comes from reading.  I do think that publishing companies will start to cash in on the popularity of blogs and social media and publish some content exclusively through those mediums.  If that happens, reading will become more social and more interactive.  Even personal pleasure reading will become more of a social activity.  The Internet is so interactive and there is so much reading to be done on it already; as publishing moves to feed the shortening attention spans of people addicted to the Internet (and the need for people to share every thought that comes into their minds, thanks to social media), people will continue to treat reading as a social, collaborative activity.  We will read to learn, and we will read to entertain ourselves, but more and more we will do it together.

Reference

Le Guin, U. K. (2008, February). Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading. Harper's Magazine. 316(1893), 33-38.