Has the internet destroyed reading? Not really:
Reading for pleasure has declined by an average of six minutes per day in the internet era, but the truth is we never read very much in the first place. Twenty years ago TV outpaced reading by 7:1. Today it's nearly 11:1. We really love our televisions.
Doesn't poking around on the internet count as reading?
Yeah, I'm reading for pleasure right now.
I'm also watching TV.
Too much television is the root of all evils in the usa.
Does "Watching TV" include Youtube?
Does "Reading" include Audiobooks?
I end up watching a lot more TV simply because it's a lot easier to watch a TV show on a tablet than read a book. I know, I know audiobooks but I find things intended to be heard in the first instance (like podcasts) are better than books read aloud. By a similar token, a podcast printed out would generally make a lousy book.
Looking to reading making a big comeback 😐
Are these numbers corrected for inflation?
Good question! Back in the day, as the older fiction in my library shows, a "book" was a couple hundred pages long, sometimes even under 200. Now, try to find one less than 500. I've got several that exceed 1,000 pages!
I like audiobooks, because I can do routine, boring stuff like yard work and house work while being entertained and enlightened. You really want a good book while deadheading a floribunda or pulling weeds...
Is listening to a book in the same class as "reading" the book, as JimFive asks?
I love to read but truth be told I have switched from actual books to reading on my tablet.
I am currently reading in the hopes of re-educating myself. I made myself a promise to read a book about EACH of the presidents of the United States. This started after I read a book about Herbert Hoover which was quite entertaining and educational as I had forgotten so much about THAT time period and the man himself.
But I did make a mistake as I undertook this task. My second book was about Calvin Coolidge. I got halfway through it and decided my best course of action was to start with George Washington. This gives me a "feel" for the time and continuity as I go through the presidents.
I can't believe how much I have forgotten (or never learned in the first place). I don't know if I will finish my project before I croak but I am enjoying each book
You might add the recent "President Garfield" by C.W.Goodyear to your list. It amazed me, just how accomplished and popular the man was! But all I remember from my K12 histories was, he was elected and almost immediately shot & killed. Talk about selling the man short!
@Vog46:
45 people have been President of the USA. 45 books = piece of cake !