Listening is the new reading

[Sydney's Mom]

We have taken some long car trips recently, and instead of listening to music (my husband doesn't understand why I cringe when he looks at his phone while we are driving at 80 mph), we decided to get some audiobooks. I used to check these out from the library, but you can't listen to them on your phone anymore.

I went to audible, and the tag line is "listening is the new reading." NO IT ISN'T. There is a time and place for audiobooks, but to replace reading? I know reading isn't terribly popular, but I didn't know it needed a replacement. I am just appalled at this. I guess it is consistent with my millennial daughter-when we were going over her budget, I questioned a subscription to audible. She said "Oh, you don't want me to read?"

This is like "estate tax" being rebranded to "death tax." When did reading become confused with listening?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I went to audible, and the tag line is "listening is the new reading." NO IT ISN'T.

I agree with you.

Disclaimer: I love audiobooks. One of the things I like about them is that they let me get through more content. But it's not reading.

Reading is a different skillset and I'd argue a more advanced one. Moreover, listening to audiobooks involves the interpretation of the narrator, who comes between the author and the reader.

People can get defensive about audiobooks and I don't see why. As I said, you can get through more content by using time when eyes and/or hands are not free to read. And they're enjoyable on their own merits; a talented narrator brings a lot to a book. For some, it's their only way to access a book at all. But it's a different experience, not necessarily inferior, but not reading.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by issybird

I agree with you.

Disclaimer: I love audiobooks. One of the things I like about them is that they let me get through more content. But it's not reading.

Reading is a different skillset and I'd argue a more advanced one. Moreover, listening to audiobooks involves the interpretation of the narrator, who comes between the author and the reader.

People can get defensive about audiobooks and I don't see why. As I said, you can get through more content by using time when eyes and/or hands are not free to read. And they're enjoyable on their own merits; a talented narrator brings a lot to a book. For some, it's their only way to access a book at all. But it's a different experience, not necessarily inferior, but not reading.

I had an uncle as an adult that could only read books by listening. He could also only watch TV by listening. He got all his books from the library in Austin.
Accident left him blind in his one eye.

[tomsem]

I consider it reading. It is a different way of experiencing the book. It’s how many of us got started reading: having our parents read to us. ‘Being read to’ requires skill sets as well, for example, adapting to different narration styles and not allowing yourself to zone out. There are some narrators who ‘get in the way’ but that’s an extremely subjective assessment. I find the more I listen, the more I appreciate the skill of anyone who does it professionally, and some are very skilled indeed.

Reading electronically is different than reading print. It also requires skill sets apart from what is required for print.

Braille is another form of reading that takes in text via touch. Needless to say that also requires specific skill sets.

TTS is yet another way, I would argue somewhat distinct from experiencing audiobooks and requiring some proficiency to be able to enjoy it. Some people find that superior to audiobooks because it is a ‘flat’ reading that allows more freedom for personal interpretation. I am not necessarily one of those people, but it is something I use when my eyes are tired or my hands are not free.

And then there’s Kindle’s ‘immersion reading’: text with synchronized audio. Or Whispersync for Voice, where you switch between text and voice.

And there’s RSVP (rapid serial visual presentation). And someday maybe we’ll be able to induce the experience of reading directly to the brain, or have a way to generate video from text.

It is all reading in my book, and I’m happy to have so many options available.

[Catlady]

So all those books I thought I'd been reading the last few years, they don't count?

[soondai]

I mostly listen and read nonfiction. I definitely don't retain as much listening, but it sure beats talk radio or music to pass the time for me when I'm stuck driving around or exercising. My mind wanders a bit and sometimes my attention is necessarily split.

Personally, I may not get quite as much out of a book listening, but it's the closest thing to "reading" I'm going to be able to do a lot of the time. So I am very happy so many books are available that way.

[Deskisamess]

Why does it have to either or? I’m not a big audio book user, but I see no reason to be appalled by them. The story is “consumed” either way.

This seems to me to be very similar to those who don’t like digital books because they prefer print versions. I’ve seen and heard some very similar harsh comments from those who want “real” books.

I don’t care for the phrase “Listening is the new reading” but isn’t the goal of either method the same thing? Consumption of the story?

I’ll read The Good Earth and you listen to it. When we are done, we can talk about the story, the characters, the setting. We can discuss Olan and Wang Lung, their sons, the famine, the locusts, the daughter who died, the one who lived, etc.

Why must it be one or the other? There are so many reasons why someone may use audio books. There use takes nothing from those who prefer the written word.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

Why does it have to either or? I’m not a big audio book user, but I see no reason to be appalled by them. The story is “consumed” either way.

I don't think anyone is saying it's either/or; it's whether listening to an audiobook is the same as reading a print book. I enjoy both, myself, but it's different activities.

There's the terminology aspect where "reading" is shorthand for book consumption and it's one I use myself; once I've finished a book I think of it as having been read even though I didn't read it. As physical acts, I don't see how you could say that reading and listening are the same thing.

[Deskisamess]

Yea, I really dislike the slogan.

I’d be a danger on the road if I listened to audio books while driving. My husband missed an exit on a trip we’ve done at least 80 times because we had TKAM playing from a cd audio book. (I also really disliked Sissy Spacek’s reading)

[badgoodDeb]

I dislike the slogan, but I don't fault people for listening to books. I find it a *marvelous* way to chew up the time on a long road trip. It makes the trip nearly effortless. But I can only listen to certain kinds of books. Nothing that is going to touch my emotions (crying while driving is a big no-no!). Mysteries work best for me. Older ones have been the best so far (for not distracting me from exits, etc) but I am running out of Sherlock Holmes episodes.

I can personally read far faster than the speed of speech. So when I am at home, I prefer to read an ebook or paper book. For the same reason (speed), I won't even bother with online news articles if it's a video clip. Just give me text I can skim through, people!!

As my eyes age, though, I might have to do more listening instead of eyeballing. That will be fine, when I need to do so. Hopefully, I'll also be retired and thus have more time ...... But we'll see.

[sun surfer]

I think in the act of discussing reading words versus listening, it's mostly just semantics and splitting hairs. In the act of actually consuming an author's work, either way you're consuming the work.

Stories began as oral traditions anyway. Perhaps we are simply returning to our primal roots with the rise of audiobooks.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by issybird

People can get defensive about audiobooks and I don't see why.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe they've been told one time too many that audiobooks are cheating or that they're only for people too stupid to read a real book. I know I've been told that more than once by some of the eBooks aren't real books crowd I've met. Some people take what others say about things like that to heart.

[Deskisamess]

I can personally read far faster than the speed of speech. So when I am at home, I prefer to read an ebook or paper book. For the same reason (speed), I won't even bother with online news articles if it's a video clip. Just give me text I can skim through, people!!

This! A thousand times, this! The new swing to videos on news and blog sites bugs me. I don’t want to watch a video. I can read way faster than anyone can talk.

[cfrizz]

And before you can GET to the video, you are forced to sit through a damn commercial!!!

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

This! A thousand times, this! The new swing to videos on news and blog sites bugs me. I don’t want to watch a video. I can read way faster than anyone can talk.

[Dazrin]

I'm going to ignore the reading/listening discussion to focus on this part of your original comment.

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

We have taken some long car trips recently, and instead of listening to music (my husband doesn't understand why I cringe when he looks at his phone while we are driving at 80 mph), we decided to get some audiobooks. I used to check these out from the library, but you can't listen to them on your phone anymore.

If I couldn't get audio books for long drives I would go nuts! What system to you have from your library that you can't load them on your phone anymore? Just trying to make sure I can yell loudly at my library if they try to change to a system that doesn't allow this. Are they streaming only now? That wouldn't work for me since there are way too many places nearby with little to no service and my data plan is quite small.

My libraries use Overdrive and I don't have any problems doing that or downloading them as MP3s and loading them on my old iPod. I can also go to the library and check out audio books on CD if I needed to, but I haven't had to resort to that yet. (I'm not even sure my truck's CD player works. I haven't used it in the 5 years I have owned it and given that the truck is older than I was when I graduated college I doubt it works.)