Introduction:
The thesis of Caleb Crain’s article in
The New Yorker is that reading is on the decline in America. Some of the research he quotes indicates that the more people watch television, the less they read - and perhaps the less they are able to read. However, people who read more tend to be more active than non-readers. Crain suggests that it may be dangerous for a democracy to lose the reading habit.
Quotes:
According to the article "What Will Life Be Like If People Stop Reading?", the state of reading and readers is in decline. However, I do not agree with this statement, nor with the research methodology used in the article. What is reading? And what is a reader? The first reason I disagree is that many people, including myself, read newspapers on the Internet. The second reason is that, as recently as two decades ago we did not have many digital books. And the final reason is that many readers go to the library to read instead of buying books.
According to
Editor & Publisher Year Book, "in 1970 there were 62.1 million weekday newspapers in circulation - about 0.3 papers per person. Since 1990, circulation has declined steadily, and in 2006 there were 52.3 million weekday newspapers - about 0.17 person." I agree with this research, because I think people don’t have enough time for reading newspapers. I think watching TV is easier than reading newspapers. And I also think that people can read newspapers online at their convenience when searching on the Internet, and also at work.
According to Caleb Crain, the Department of Education says "More alarming are indications that Americans are losing not just the will to read but even the ability." I know that is not only an American problem, because:
- many people all over the world prefer easier ways to get information;
- there has been an explosion in the last century of non-written media: radio, sound
recordings (music), the telephone, films and TV;
- in my professional experience as a teacher in other countries: students who read less
are less able to express themselves orally or in writing.
Conclusion:
Personally, I will pay more attention to reading while learning English, both for increasing my knowledge and for its effect on my brain. In my family, I will try to help my daughter read more and watch less TV and YouTube. Finally, I will tell everyone about the benefits of reading, both personally and in lectures as I talk about education.
