Does The Internet Make Reading Seem Boring?

“Reading” and “boring”. Those are two words that you will never find together in any of my sentence structures. Sure, a book itself can be boring. But the act itself can never be a bother. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way…that is, based on a certain Huffington Post blog post titled: Does The Internet Make Reading Seem Boring?

The author claims that due to digital devices and wide access to the internet, to some, reading is becoming a “boring”pastime. The Pew Research Center reported that a mere 23 percent of Americans haven’t read any type of book in the past year.

Unfortunately, I cannot deny that I’m guilty of this. There are times I find myself binging on shows on Netflix or Hulu, aimlessly browsing on the internet, basically doing anything that’s not reading. And I get the appeal. A book can’t give you the highest score in Candy Crush or the latest exciting post trending on Facebook or Twitter. Smartphones and tablets provide all bright lights and glamour while a book is portrayed as being plain and ordinary. No wonder this author would claim that the internet has made physical reading boring.

But you see, it’s unfair to blame society’s lack of interest in reading entirely on the internet. The internet does not make our choices for us, we do. The internet is a tool. Just like any useful tool, we use it of own choosing. So, it’s not that the internet is making reading boring. We’re choosing to not make reading a priority anymore. We find our devices more entertaining and just using that as an excuse.

Now, I’m not saying to completely abandon the use of the internet. In this century, we somehow deal with digital devices in some aspect of our lives. It involves a different type of reading. Whether reading an article online or the latest Facebook post, the internet is somehow heavily involved in our lives. But just as we choose to upgrade to a different smartphone or tablet every year, we can choose to set aside the device and pick up a book.

So do what I do. Set aside your laptop, smartphone or tablet, turn off your Netflix, and just pick a book, even if it’s just for an hour. Stop letting technology take control of your life and start taking back control of it.

Reading can give you so much more than the internet. Let this pictorial explain it perfectly:

or this one:

“Reading” and “boring” cannot possibly be in the same sentence. Reading allows you to enter different worlds with the possibility of changing you intellectually, maybe even physically. So shouldn’t we fight to keep making reading a priority in our lives and never tarnish it with the word…”boring”? Because we have to think of our younger generation. If this internet dominance continues, younger children will start to perceive our physical books as this: