The Struggle to Read (James)
In recent times, I'm sure we are all struggling to find time to pick up a good book to read. As a kid, like many of you guys, I built the healthy habit of reading before bed, but for the past year or two, that's changed. Now, I go to bed immediately after finishing my homework, completely exhausted from the day. This blog will be a sort of self-reflection, but also include discussions from articles found online.
Drew Whitaker, a student of De Smet Jesuit High School, blames social media: "It is no coincidence that the teenage reading rate has declined as technology and social media have taken over nearly all aspects of teenage life. With the downfall of teenage reading, may come the downfall of teenage education all together. With technology taking over the world, teenagers have all the knowledge they need and more right at their fingertips. There is no reason for people to open up nonfiction books anymore when they can simply pull out their phones and find any information on any topic. The rise of technology has also dramatically affected the amount of fiction reading teenagers do as they would rather watch YouTube or keep up with their friends on Instagram than read an all-time classic like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings". Although Drew brings up a valid argument, I argue that social media is the smallest of issues. Of course, everyone has a different lives and experiences, but there is more to blame than your phone. The pleasure you can get from reading a book, is drastically more rewarding than the short term dopamine you get from short-form content. So if not social media, what is the root of the problem?
I think it has to do with habits. As I mentioned in my intro, I always read right before bed. It was the last thing I did. I never read in the mornings or afternoons unless I was sick, and stuck in bed. But as I got older, and school work started to pile up, the time I had to read became shorter and shorter. Eventually, it reached zero. Present day. On top of homework and projects, many of us are in clubs, play sports, and have extracurriculars. By the time we finish our homework, we're mentally and physically exhausted. Yearning for sleep, we completely ignore the book sitting on the nightstand, instead opting for the easy, lazy, and accessible phone. It doesn't seem worth it to open a book, read for only a few minutes and then not being able to keep your eyes open any longer. For me, the habit reading at night slowly disintegrated. being replaced by late night work sessions (like this blog post).
To conclude, reading has being a lot more difficult not only because of social media, but because of habits developed as children. My advice is to avoid using your phone at night, and remember every page counts.
Sweet Dreams, and Good night.
https://desmetmirror.com/11058/editorials/the-decline-of-teenagers-reading-is-an-impact-on-education/
Hello James (you forgot to include your name btw)! Very insightful blog. I had a similar experience: I only had time to read whenever I wasn't busy with other things like you mention. Around the start of subbie started I basically stopped reading on my own, though I've been reading a bit more this year because of the blogs. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi James, this is a good blog, and I can relate a lot.
ReplyDeleteHi James. This is a great bog reflecting about your personal experience with reading. I personally relate with this so much. I also used to read before I slept, but as I started to get older, I read less and less. I recently resumed my habit of reading, and it's led me to be on my phone less and less. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHello James. I totally agree with struggling to read, compared to when I was in Elementary or even Middle school. Thanks to blog posts and free reading day, I have been able to do some reading but it's been a lot less than I would like to. I personally think that social media has become a habit for most people and is taking away time that used to be for reading. Thanks for the great post.
ReplyDeleteHi James! I feel like this blog post about eventually losing interest in/never having enough time to read resonates with a lot of teenagers, especially those at Uni. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi James! I totally agree with your struggle to not find time or the motivation to read as much as I did as a child, so reading the articles you found really inspired me to start trying to read again before bed! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the lack of time to really do anything that isn't school-related is a big reason as to why people aren't reading as much as they used to. I think another factor could be social media, although you attested to it being a smaller issue, because of the heavy amounts of dopamine we receive by scrolling or watching videos.
ReplyDeleteHey James! I found this blog really relatable as I find myself struggling with some of the things your mentioned here. Great work James!
ReplyDeleteYo James! I'm gonna add another comment to your blog post and say, thank you! Phones and electronic devices are part of the problem but they're not the only factor in reading less. Sometimes it's habits, like you said, and other times it could simply be a change of interest. For example, say you used to like reading harry potter but now you're into romance novels but can't find anything that you genuinely enjoy. I know for a fact that I can't just pick up a random book and read it if I don't like it. A lack of reading could also be a lack of avalibility to books. Like you said, everyone is raised differently, but I'm gonna end my thing here- lol. Awesome blog post!
ReplyDeleteHello James! This is a very interesting blog! I too have greatly decreased the amount of time I spend reading compared to when i was younger. As you said we have pretty busy and tiring lives and while reading could definitely be a fun activity to do when trying to relax, it does require some thought and a lot of the time I choose the easier options like watching a show, scrolling on social media, or playing a sport. With the need to read for these book blogs I have gotten a bit better at reading in my free time, but most of the time it feels like a chore rather than something I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHi James, interesting blog idea. I agree with your thoughts about how the kinds of habits we have play a big role in our daily lives. But I do personally think that the increase in social media is definitely a significant cause of the decrease in reading. The "short term dopamine you get from short-form content" I think is actually a big reason that makes it so that when you do finally have a moment to relax after a long day, that quick and easy phone pickup can be more tempting, and addictive (making it easier to form into a habit). It doesn't require as much time or work as reading - which technically you can stop both activities at any time, but with a book, you likely aren't going to feel immediate satisfaction because a lot of it has to be built up. With social media, you just scroll whenever you feel like it and it pretty much always provides the same effect of easy entertainment.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I personally agree that I've struggled to be able to sit down and read a good book, even recently struggling to see what book I should read for my last blog. Great review!
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