Reading is dying

This archived article was written by: Hailey Peyton Sellers

Amid the rising storm of social media and online gaming, there is a threat to a precious art. One that hasn’t completely vanished, but could within the next few generations.
Studies show once children reach the ages of 12 and 13, they generally lose their interest in reading for pleasure. Social media is becoming more of a priority among young adults. Love interests, tweeting, texting, etc.
Of course, most of these activities are wonderful, such as friendship building and sports. Yet, we have all seen the gang of teens at the mall staring at their smartphones. Teens haven’t been making eye contact with anything but their phones.
“In sum, reading has lost its privileged status; few kids are ashamed that they’re not doing it much. The notion that you should always have a book going—that notion, which all real readers share, doesn’t flourish in many kids. Often, they look at you blankly when you ask them what they are reading on their own.
Reading frustrates their smartphone sense of being everywhere at once.
Suddenly, they are stuck on that page, anchored, moored, and many are glum about it. Being unconnected makes them anxious and even angry. “Books smell like old people,” I heard a student say in New Haven..” — The New Yorker Do Teens Read Seriously Anymore?
It is easy to see this lack of leisure reading in youth, but is this unfortunate “plague” continuing through adults. More and more middle aged and elderly have joined the Facebook and Instagram members. College students read homework required text, but their free time is being replaced with electronic pleasures. So, the question comes to mind: what is so great about reading?
A few simple benefits can come from escaping into a novel. Reading helps improve your memory, relieves unhealthy stress, boosts your vocabulary knowledge, and increases personal optimism! Reading can be fulfilling if you let it. Unplug your need for constant attention from online faces and lock yourself in a world far away and unknown to most.