Quote:
Originally Posted by holymadness
Dismissiveness of attempts to socialize reading are inextricable from contempt for what passes as socializing these days. That is reasonable, but it is confusing two different issues.
(snip with no intention to remove context)
So to the answer the question, of course social reading is the wave of the future. Or at least, it will be a major part of it. We are wired to want to discuss and share our experiences with others. It is natural to want to influence the opinions of those who look up to us and benefit from the experience of those whom we seek to emulate. Now that we have the tools to create virtual communities centred around shared interests, there is no reason why we shouldn't.
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I think the issue, for some of us, has more to do with the items that fall under "social reading". Sharing highlights and margin notes is something that would never occur to me. It's compounded by being attached to a specific, proprietary system. As I stated previously, I participate in forms of social reading, but I cut out the middleman (or one of them, anyway) by not involving the ebook / ereader features.
I guess I'm just baffled at how many social reading platforms tout the highlighting / notes as the marquee feature of their offerings. The way I use Goodreads and MR seems more "social" even within the definition of what passes as social these days.
I don't have a problem with today's definition of social. I use Facebook, I have a blog that I occasionally post to, and we all know how much time I spend on MR, and these things are actually great for me, because it takes the pressure off - I can participate as I choose. I love interacting with people, but in-person socializing quickly drains my energy, and I prefer to be alone much of the time. The internet is this introvert's dream come true. Best of both worlds.
In summary - "Social Reading" is often distilled down to center around these highlighting / notes features. That's the part I don't get, because it doesn't seem very social compared to the things I'm currently doing, even by the current definition of "social".