Monday, December 29th 2008

The Long Decline of Reading

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One of the best pieces of writing I’ve come across this year where it regards the way modern media (most particularly the Internet) are impacting reading. I find this especially meaningful for me these days, for two reasons: Firstly, reading actual books – on Stanza or on paper – is the source of entertainment I derive the most satisfaction from, and secondly, because most people I come in contact with these days don’t seem to be able to write three sentences in a row or bother to actually read and understand what other people write, in e-mails or otherwise. It now seems as if we’ve spent thousands of years edging away from oral tradition and illiteracy only to re-discover it through technology. Somewhat related: The Economist on the UK’s education reform, or utter destruction thereof.