Reading books or simply reading is an intellectual and cultural activity that has been declining over the last decades. There are several benefits that comes from reading such as : 1) better cognitive function 2) improved memory 3) decreased stress 4) augmented focus . Nonetheless , the reading culture has been fading away in our society , as a matter of fact about 6% of the US population still read books. Let us explore the reasons behind this decline by naming the contributing factors .
First and foremost, we are ought to know the the origins of literacy prior to diving down in this subject . People have been reading since to southern Mesopotamia circa 3,000 BCE. Public readings occurred in royal courts , the performances of storytellers were very popular in the 11th and 12th Centuries CE . Nevertheless in the past decades , with the apparition of phones , a steep decline has been observed.
Books are fading away in the age of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. This decline in book reading has many different aspects , a 2015 data shows that 50 percent of adults read at least one work of literature in the previous year , since 2002 , the share in poetry readers have contracted to around 45% .
The root cause is the rise digital content. Here’s the thing , people read articles on their phones rather than read a book. You can see it yourself by standing in the bus stop or in the line waiting for coffee, everyone is on their phones. What are they doing you are probably asking . Well, they either checking their email inboxes, looking up information on the web , searching for a real estate listing , checking their social media account or simply playing a mobile game . People are constantly using their phones and holding a book to read it is simply not sexy anymore in particular among the younger generation.
When you ask people why they don’t read books , poems , literature , well they will give you answers like these : 1) I don’t have the time 2) books are pricey 3) Watching a movie is easier 4) reading is too hard 5) I cannot fit in my daily routine .
It is extremely heartbreaking to hear people excuses for not reading anymore. Hopefully if you are a reader and want to keep this activity alive, you will share or with a friend or family member.
Reading is Writing 