Nearly one-in-five Americans now listen to audiobooks (3/8/2018; Pew Research Center)

[Bertolt]

According to Wikipedia: The U. S. has participated in cyclical, large-scale assessment programs undertaken by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) and sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) since 1992. The survey revealed that the literacy competence of about 40 million adults was limited to the lowest level, Level 1 which meant they could only understand the simplest written instructions.[3]
Could this have anything to do with the rise of the audiobook in the USA?
I much prefer to listen to radio, radio 4 in the UK. I can get it digitally in Spain (and anywhere where there is internet access).
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[Mivo]

I still don't seem to be able to get into audio books. I try one every so often, but I find it hard to really concentrate on them and get "sucked into" the story. Usually, I end up doing other things while listening (thinking that this is an efficient use of time), but the split attention benefits neither the listening nor the other activity.

Audio books also don't spark my imagination in the same way a book does, in spite (or maybe because) of the voice acting. Plus, when I listen to them on the couch or in the bed, there is a good chance they'll put me to sleep (whereas books keep me up way past a sensible bed time).

I multitask a lot throughout the day, which may well be why I like to recreate with single-focus activities like reading a book on a single-purpose device.

[sealbeater]

Originally Posted by Bertolt

Could this have anything to do with the rise of the audiobook in the USA?

Personally I think so.

I got toasted a bit for suggesting those who listen to audio books weaken their reading skills.

However, I'm not exactly impressed with the literacy ability of those who do.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Mivo

I still don't seem to be able to get into audio books. I try one every so often, but I find it hard to really concentrate on them and get "sucked into" the story. Usually, I end up doing other things while listening (thinking that this is an efficient use of time), but the split attention benefits neither the listening nor the other activity.

I adore audiobooks and listen almost everyday but I have to have read the book first, if I haven’t I easily lose track.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by Bertolt

According to Wikipedia: The U. S. has participated in cyclical, large-scale assessment programs undertaken by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) and sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) since 1992. The survey revealed that the literacy competence of about 40 million adults was limited to the lowest level, Level 1 which meant they could only understand the simplest written instructions.[3]
Could this have anything to do with the rise of the audiobook in the USA?

I suspect it has more to do with the aging population. Audiobooks are easier on old eyes that print books.

I started listening to audiobooks for car trips, and then I started increasing my listening because I could listen while housecleaning or walking. I found it interesting when I listened to books I'd previously read, I found there were parts I didn't remember at all. I think I skim when reading more than I knew....the audiobooks made me notice the missing parts.

I do feel that I don't retain what I listen to as well as when I read (e.g., character names, situations in mysteries, etc.)

[Bertolt]

Originally Posted by sealbeater

Personally I think so.
I got toasted a bit for suggesting those who listen to audio books weaken their reading skills.
However, I'm not exactly impressed with the literacy ability of those who do.

Sealbeater, you are unquestionably right. The less people read, the more their literacy declines. I have spent the most important part of my life studying and teaching languages and literacy. Literacy means the ability to read and write. You improve your literacy skills by practicing reading and writing. It's the same with physical fitness: if you don't exercise, your muscles get weaker and weaker. I speak fluent Spanish but have largely learned the language in the street. If I don't read Spanish books, I will never gain the ability to write the language properly. Unfortunately I also speak French and German fluently, which means that I have little time to gain literacy skills in Spanish. Is this a problem for me? Yes it is.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Bertolt

Sealbeater, you are unquestionably right. The less people read, the more their literacy declines. I have spent the most important part of my life studying and teaching languages and literacy. Literacy means the ability to read and write. You improve your literacy skills by practicing reading and writing. It's the same with physical fitness: if you don't exercise, your muscles get weaker and weaker. I speak fluent Spanish but have largely learned the language in the street. If I don't read Spanish books, I will never gain the ability to write the language properly. Unfortunately I also speak French and German fluently, which means that I have little time to gain literacy skills in Spanish. Is this a problem for me? Yes it is.

You can make a valid argument by comparing literacy skills with riding a bicycle rather than physical exercise. Not using a language for a while if you are fluent in more than one makes it a little complicated to get back into it. The problem is missing vocabulary more than forgetting the skill. Not that the vocabulary is gone, but the association of concept to word doesn't happen in the language that had been unused for a while.

When creating language (writing or talking) I always notice that I have to translate into the language I haven't used. Which is really weird when my mother tongue has to be treated like a unfluent foreign language. The ability to listen and reading comes back almost right away.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but they seem awfully expensive to me.

I buy them via Audible...so they are about $15 a piece. I tend to buy the long books via audible on purpose as a way of extending the value.

I got hooked a couple decades ago when audible first came out and you got a digital book player "for free" when you signed up. I used to drive 45m - 1hr each way every day for work. So I checked out a lot of audio books from the library before audible, then have been pretty much all audible since then.

For a number of years I no longer commuted, but worked from home and traveled by air. I listened to a lot fewer books. Now I'm back to a 1.5hr commute each way for work and back to listening. I prefer listening to a book over watching a tv show or movie when commuting.

I can read quite a few more books per year due to audiobooks. I do find that my reading time at home is challenged by binge watching tv shows.