In this entry right here, John Scalzi writes the depressing news that people are reading less -- but posits the happy thought that perhaps people are reading the same or more, they're just reading online -- rather than, say, books.
And, at first, I thought, "bull." I mean, reading an online message board about Mary-Kate and Ashley is not the same as reading Hamlet. There's a difference between the sort of reading that is involved in IMing and chat-rooming (that's reading as a proxy for oral communication) and reading something that displays some level of mastery of the art of the written word.
But then, I remembered something -- and realized our pal Scalzi might have a point.
Some time ago, I was playing what might loosely be called an online game. But it was a game that had a very solid storyline that was played out before me over a number of months. And when I reached what turned out to be the endpoint of a particular storyline, it was so moving, I actually wept.
And I thought, through my tears, "Damn, I really have no idea of the power of this medium." Because this was the first time that I had been emotionally impacted by a piece of fiction that was, for lack of a better term, "internet fiction."
And then I found out who had written it -- and it happened to be a published writer -- so I bought one of his books (and, thereafter, three more).
So, there you have it. Internet gaming led to reading four actual books. There is hope.
Although this may be true for some folks, and like you ~ online reading may lead to buying more actual books, I have to say that I'm still one of those avid readers that prefer the actual pages beneath my fingertips. Yeah, I most definitely do some reading online, in particular CNN.com, as well as all my journals, and whatnot.....but there is nothing like curling up with a good book to make me one happy chick. I hope my children learn the absolute joy of reading. It appears they may be on that road. I see both of them pulling out the books more and more.
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