My son, who is a voracious reader, mostly of classic literature (he’s a really smart guy), told me recently that there is a tiktok trend going around, complaining about people reading in public, calling them “performative readers.” In other words, they’re not really reading those books, they’re just pretending to read to show off. Now he seems a bit intimidated to be seen reading in public. I told him to ignore the idiots. They’re just people who can barely read, and think everybody is as stupid as them, so they must be faking the reading.

I think a big part is the switch to audiobooks, I know a lot of my friends have moved almost exclusively to those. It’s a lot easier to listen to a book while cleaning, driving, working out, cooking, etc.

I still read physical books, but I have to set aside time for it, time I could spend doing something else if I was free to just listen to it.

Interesting. I made an active choice to read more a few years ago, and now I’m reading more thani ever did before. I’m at 25 books so far this year, averaging over 600k pages each. Although many of those are audio books during my long commute, I’m still getting the stories.

For anyone in the US that doesn’t know:

-You can sign up for your local public library online.

-Then download Libby or Hoopla.

-You can then check out books, including audio, and comics (I read all of Invincible and The Boys recently).

-They also have Movies, TV, and Music sections but I’m unfamiliar with them.

It’s great and free. More people should use it. Also, physically go to you library if you can. It’s a great resource and they have little clubs and get togethers if you are trying to meet people.

I count myself among the lapsed readers. I grew up as a voracious reader. I was ALWAYS the best reader in school, and always had a book with me. I even preferred to eat alone, so I could read.

Today, I can’t remember the last book that I read with my eyes. I listen to audio books on road trips, but I also mix that up with podcasts and comedy videos.

In some ways, people are reading more than ever, they’re just reading stuff on their phones, just not books.

I just built a new bookshelf for my home. Solid wood, 8ft tall, 16ft long. I even added a sliding ladder. Its ben my dream to have a bookshelf like this. I laugh at the thought years from now when the house sells again people will look at it and be pissed, like “what the hell am i supposed to do with that?!”

Since half of Americans are functionally illiterate, how would they read for fun?

I’m part of this as well. I read a ton as a kid to the point my parents took away my books as punishment. Gaming definitely did (and does) take up more and more time I could be reading with. But it’s honestly been give and take. Recent games reignited a desire to read sci fi, so I got 3 books into the Dune series and read Neuromancer and some of Gibsons other short stories just this year.

I hope that we see a resurgence similar to vinyl, where physical media gets a revival. I’ll admit, i read quite a few books on my phone. Maybe I’m getting old, but having the actual books is becoming more and more appealing by the day. It might be coming back guys!

Reclassify doom scrolling as recreational.

I solve problems people.

Obviously the Internet plays a big role in this as people have said, but it’s worth mentioning this was also the era where tv stopped sucking (from reality tv awfulness to a bunch of absolute banger dramas), AND where Netflix and then other streaming services became available. So there are huge competition effects.

I’ve also never bought fully into the “reading good TV bad” mindset. Leisure is leisure, especially if the article’s raised point is “identifying with literary characters”. That certainly happens in other forms of media. Even if it’s reading to learn, I watch a LOT of YouTube these days, and probably 75% of what I watch is how to and instructional. Also let’s not forget with each new form of leisure: “fast-paced music” (classical), books for the masses, magazines, tv, jazz, rock and roll, DnD, the internet, VR etc…there was always someone saying the new stuff will rot your brain while they pine for something that was maligned when it was new.

I “read” on “the internet” to “make myself miserable”

Im definately part of this one. I read voraciously up until college when I had to lay off of it during the school year or it interfered with studies to much. Was still my favorite pass time till the new millenia when the internet sorta took over (work n life and junk is maybe a bit to blame given my first decent job and getting married). Last book I read was the last book robert jordan wrote in the wheel of time series. Maybe something after that but even at the point I read that I had borrowed it from a work friend I shared an office with when he finished it. So I was way slowed down and figure that was 2005 or 2006 since he picked up the book as soon as it was available in hardcover. Oh man its been 20 years since I was big on reading. Going to be half my life soon enough.

Yeah, we can tell…

Unfortunately it’s not just a US problem. It’s more of a general issue. People ‘read’ a lot, but generally the wrong things. Like social media. And it’s causing people to lose their ‘reading muscles’ so to speak.

When I first got online in 1995, forum posts were much longer and more insightful. These days you see a lot of ‘tl;dr’ attitudes.

In my opinion, reading is a fundamental part of the human experience and important in people’s general development. Reading needs to be encouraged if possible, enforced if necessary. But there’s a lot of resistance to that.

Maybe it’s just me but I lack the free time to get meaningful progress, if I’m lucky maybe 2-3 chapters a week by the time works and housekeeping is done. It often feels unrewarding to need to look back and remember the plot by the time I get back to the book

Judging by your president, I think 40% fewer Americans read. For fun or otherwise.