In this digital world, many aspects of daily life have been sped-up. Being of the last generation to experience the majority of childhood largely without the smartphone, books, and by that I mean paper books, formed a huge part of my cognitive development. I was one of those crazy kids who couldn’t get enough of them; I was reading everywhere, all the time. Going on to study a literature degree meant reading took up a large amount of my time, and that is mostly where I began to understand the wealth of material available online. Being vehemently against a Kindle or other e-readers for years, I actually purchased all of my necessary first year texts, before realising this was indeed, a foolish idea.
Now I understand the benefit of having texts available digitally, both as a student and a casual reader. But it’s made me wonder—how is this new world of electronically prepared and accessible literature affecting younger minds? Electronic copies are replacing books for several reasons—costs, ease, accessibility—and whilst reading of any kind will improve comprehension skills, research conducted by the National Literacy Trust found that those who read daily on screen are twice less likely to be above average readers than those who read daily in print.
Whilst e-books do pose an accessible way for uninterested children to begin reading, it’s important to question if this is because contemporary children are so attracted to screens it inhabits something subconscious within them. Features that decode words or sentences prohibit them, if overly relied on, from developing concepts about language structure and fluency, as well as skills in problem-solving. Electronic devices expose readers to countless distractions, including the freedom to switch to a social media site or video game in seconds, which only contributes further to impaired impulse control. Linguist Naomi S. Baron mentions the importance of sensory touch with developing reading skills, as the physical geography of pages links to memories of what has been read. Social media promotes the consumption of information in bite-sized pieces, which not only negatively impacts attention spans, meaning children especially are less likely to have the motivation to consume larger, more complex texts, but the harmful blue light emitted causes mental fatigue, decreased mood, and eyesight issues.
Does the ubiquity of digital materials mean there has been a shift away from ‘real’ books? Is anyone still interested in buying them?
“Kindle 4” by Roberto_Ventre is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.