Quote:
Originally Posted by Geremia
Are E-Books Making Us Stupid?
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"Making"? No.
Contributing? Maybe...
The diehard ebook fans on this forum are hopefully an exception to a trend. Meaning, many of us still engage in serious reading and would do so whether in paper books OR ebooks. But I suspect we are not representative. The trend of consuming content on distraction-prone devices, is not helping the rapid decline in attention span, linear thinking, and logical reasoning skills in the general population. It is literally rewiring people's brains starting from childhood. The results across the board on reading, academic performance, test results, etc., are almost universally negative.
I suspect it's not the mere fact of reading a book in an electronic form on a device that is having the effect of dumbing down reading, thinking, and comprehension skills. Rather, it's something to do with the device ITSELF--which is inseparable from the content when you consume it that way--that can become a fundamental distraction. Oh look, see this setting? Hmmm...a new book to buy, on the 'ads' page. Oh, maybe I should browse my library? Hey, whatup with this new backlighting, do I want it brighter or darker? Oops, time to recharge my battery! On and on it goes, as with all such devices. The device itself becomes 'the thing', not the content.
Most people here probably are committed enough readers to plow through that reality about devices, and get down to the business of actually doing sustained reading. But again, I suspect many in the genpop who may be less committed readers, never get that far. The medium itself becomes the message.