/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.8967890]

Is reading books on the way out? With distractions like 24/7 news media, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and video games always available, there is no down time anymore. You can sit plugged in to your device every extra moment you have. In the past such time would usually be spent reading, even as short as 15-20 years ago. When anyone has a spare moment, they whip out their phone to check Facebook or Twitter, and when they're home they can spend hours on the sites. They offer much quicker gratification than reading.

Can books still compete? Is reading a dying hobby?

[Anonymous No.8967893]

I was alive before the Internet, and your rosy view of a reading populace is absolutely false.

Very few people read anything at all 20 years ago, and that includes newspapers and magazines. People on the bus or train mostly sat and either talked to each other or looked out the window and thought.

Because of devices, people read now more than ever. Even if it's just Twitter posts, they're reading more than those who read nothing.

[Anonymous No.8967907]

>>8967890