Is Physical Book Reading Dead?

Can the paper book survive?

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Reading Books

That was a bad night! The dreaded lurgy arrived, and it was better to be awake than try to sleep with my body fighting an infection. This morning, the slimy throat feeling has subsided, and now it’s more like a regular runny nose cold. I think the paracetamol helped to reduce my temperature, and though lacking in sleep, my brain is in gear.

Whilst waking up, I tuned into LBC Radio, and a phone-in was taking place concerning British children's reading habits. It seems, and unsurprisingly to many, that children are reading fewer books and a campaign is underway to rectify this. The consensus was that listening to audiobooks is a way to inspire children to get back to paper books.

Like me, I am sure you’re not surprised that children, and indeed many adults, have read fewer paper books since the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic devices. Way back in 1979, Buggles sang, “Video Killed the Radio Star”, and now we see both kids and adults glued to their smartphone screens watching videos. Perhaps that song today would be “Video Killed the Book”?

A report -The State of the Nation’s Adult Reading, said that young adults were less likely to read than all other age groups. The 16- to 24-year-old age group had the lowest level of regular readers (32%), with nearly a quarter saying they have never been regular readers and 44% saying they are lapsed readers. In contrast, 62% of adults 55 and over said they read regularly, which was defined as reading at least once a week.

The number of UK adults who say they read regularly has decreased by 13.8%, from 58% to 50%, since a 2015 survey commissioned by the Reading Agency. Those reporting that they have never been regular readers has increased by 88% since 2015, from 8% to 15%. - Courtesy of The Guardian

While this survey makes sad reading, the good news is that books are still alive, and maybe the tide is turning a little on the digital revolution, although AI threatens the written word in other ways. I see more people writing and making videos about reading and writing. These are happy to share their experience in moving back to analogue ways. Research shows that we experience many benefits when we read and write on paper. There is something in our brains that recognises paper is best, and yet, electronics can fool our minds and make our electronic devices addictive. The fear of missing out (FOMO) appears to play a huge role in this. Apps are designed to grab our attention in short spells, which makes it difficult to be able to read things more deeply. Our minds may need retraining to get back to being able to concentrate better.

The Rise of ADHD

The rise in ADHD diagnoses is being attributed by some scientists and psychologists to the use of smartphones and tablets. The constant switching from one thing to another and lack of true thinking time is a likely contributor. Over the past year or so, I have been switching from digital tools to analogue, reducing my dependency on having to use a computer or other electronic device, particularly those connected to the Internet. I am not outrightly against using electronic tools, and there is a place for them. As an example, an electronic reminder system and calendar can be very useful.

It has to be said, though, that we managed very well before these were available and that they are not infallible. There is another issue which is often glossed over. The Internet can lead to hackers and scammers as well as you might not be able to access it when you need to. I will share with you more about my journey in a future post.

Are you reading physical books?

Let’s get back to reading. Are you reading physical books? Let’s include in that question magazines and newspapers. Fewer physical newspapers and magazines are purchased, many are now read online and perhaps have been in much greater decline than book reading.

Please share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment. A heart is always appreciated.