Reading Is An Investment In Thinking
It takes hours to finish a book, even for the fastest readers. This wasn’t a problem when books had less competition, but with the three massive timesinks of cable TV, videogames, and the internet, people look at that massive time investment, and they get apprehensive. Sure, they know that books can be just as enjoyable as movies or games, if not more. They may even feel guilty about not reading. But what if this book is no good? What if I end up hating it? What if I can’t understand it? Imagine all the time wasted! And so they stop before they even start.
A long, detailed, and excellent article.
Strangely, public libraries aren’t mentioned at all.
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Mike Cane 2008 
December 31, 2008 at 4:06 pm
nice article, thanks for the link.
basically, the population is dividing into two groups: those that are passionate about books and are willing to commit significant attention to it, and the others who just drop out altogether. Marks a big change from the past where every literate adult was expected to get through 20-50 books a year. But the passionates will keep it alive.
as for libraries; they will be continually under a funding squeeze as local coucils face demands from other arenas.
good discussion.
January 3, 2009 at 4:26 am
[…] The Long Decline of Reading in Adrian Hon’s blog (via Mike Cane). Also see an earlier TeleBlog item, E-books, and prep for teachers and librarians, please, […]