Do young people still read books these days?

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I just read ebooks nowadays

Ah, bummers.

Jokes aside I think it's nice to have a paper book in the hands.

 

[TinRattler]

My 2 kids 11 and 13 read more than watching tv. Only screen time they have is playing video games and have no interest in the cesspool known as social media

 

[zacharinolongpants]

According to Youtube video essays I stumble upon, there is a thing called Booktok and kids do haul videos and read a bunch of erotica. So there is still at least some kind of major reading subculture I guess lol. I'm always looking out for good modern sci-fi but I can't find many people talking about it, leading me to believe that nobody gives a shit about it anymore lol.

I'm culturally obsolete now though, so I have no idea what the overall reading audience is like at the moment. I do know some of my coworkers in their 20s write like they're in fourth grade despite the fact that they're quite smart and charismatic. I have a feeling things are getting dire in the literacy department at least in my neck if the woods lol.

 

[Dany28]

Yes they do.

 

[Kamako]

I would actually go as far as to say that they may even read more today via social media and web browsing than they ever have done before.

I think the problem is that what they are reading is largely unverifiable and of a wildly inconsistent quality.

 

[Matricks]

Even I as 0.5plus Centurian dont read Analog paper Books anymore, soo outdated and eco woodwaste.
I read on my phone All Digital pdf and sometime with Text to Speech Voice on background while surfing the web or with reading with playing movie on PIP in this ComputerAge.

 

[eyixon]

I don't know if i still count as young, but i do read a lot.

One problem is, that the ever decreasing attention span of people (blame Social Media), makes it difficult to concentrate on something like a book, for an extended period of time.

Another problem, is that in general, schools suck at getting kids to want to read, reading the greats is good and all, but for a kid or a teenager, is boring.

For me for example, I wasn't a big reader, until I found the genres I liked, by complete coincidence, no one ever recommend Pulp, nor Military Fiction to me, it was me stumbling upon them and falling in love with the genres.

I agree. Born in the 90's, reading was just about normal as watching TV. Social media and smart phones made my attention span and memory, especially when memorizing longer and large lists of telephone numbers, a bit more difficult. What i try to do is listen more, with audio books.

I also replace my tech time, an hour, twice a day, with writing. I write just about everything: daily logging, diary entries, to-do lists, or little info i learn during the day,. These include:

• Quick comebacks during arguments
• interesting recipes and DIY skills
• Tech skills like learning parts of hardware and command line/terminal skills

It's weird though, I stopped writing years back. However, when I restarted a few days ago, it's like I just keep going on and on; it flows.
Don't know if that makes sense lol

 

[Turbo Kid]

I did a lot when I was young, I hardly read at all nowadays though. I'm not even sure what modern books are good and worth reading. I still have a lot of books in my home though that I've kept from my younger years including some classic stuff like Shakespeare, War and Peace, etc. and I've gotten criticism from time to time for keeping all of that "junk". People don't value physical things like they used to. Now it's all about ebooks, and scrolling on your phone, etc.

I credit all that reading I did when I was younger for me having a decent (in my opinion) vocabulary and decent spelling and grammar. I'm not saying I'm perfect but the way some people talk and use grammar online these days is kind of appalling.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I would actually go as far as to say that they may even read more today via social media and web browsing than they ever have done before.

There's "reading" and "reading".

You don't read a receipt the same way you're reading Tolstoï.

 

[Kamako]

There's "reading" and "reading".

You don't read a receipt the same way you're reading Tolstoï.

Yes I agree. Our views on the matter are aligned.

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

I'd argue not even my generation or the generation above me has good percentage of those who can fully read and understand Tolstoy. But yes if you do want to dive into the bowels of Booktok anything in the book haul vein you'll be disappointed in the lack of literary brain muscle exercised to read those. At best you'll find motifs but very basic animal ones reminiscent of J K Rowling's house animal theming, surface level stuff and direct exposition leading the tone and mood for the reader than decode it themself.