IT has been said that the greatest words ever written are: ‘Once upon a time….’
Indeed, that’s how most of us were introduced to the exciting, intriguing world of books and the great story tellers of the ages.
And if you are from my generation (i.e. old), your first reader at school was the ‘Janet and John’ series – the foundation for all the text and setwork books that would precede our graduation to novels, both fact and fiction.
Early reading was not a task in isolation; it was part of a trinity that also embraced writing and comprehension.
We were not just taught to read, we were shown how to love reading, which we did.
Remember, it was a world before it became defined by images rather than words, as is the case now.
Which brings me to my issue of the day: is there any difference between reading from the pages of a book and reading from a screen?
It has a corollary: is there the same emotional satisfaction from reading an electronic book as from a cloth and paper one?
From studies I have read, there appears to be little difference between the resultant comprehending of content gleaned from reading electronic and paper versions of the same text, with the latter perhaps slightly ahead on points.
I have no doubt that real books will eventually give way to electronic books, which are cheaper to produce, more convenient and far easier to store and, sadly, libraries will become relics or mere servants of the internet.
Others, however, argue that the attention span when reading from a screen is far more easily distracted by incoming social media, email notifications and even the glare and flicker of the screen.
It’s called ‘digital distraction’, and let’s face it, there are endless messages vying for attention on our electronic devices.
I’m open minded but certainly biased towards hard copy text, to the point where if I find something worthy of note on a screen, I print it! Somehow, it seems more authentic, and it does not suffer the risk of being overwhelmed by a million incoming pop-ups.
A book has just one voice: that of the writer, and time will tell if the ‘reading brain’ is affected by the medium which conveys the author’s words.
Reading has been called a major sleep disorder, and it certainly is, in my case.
I always take a few on holidays, in case I get bored. I devour books.
I enjoy the tactile experience; I love touching and smelling the paper; I write notes in the margins and use a highlighter on important sentences.
Two concluding quotes (not mine):
‘A person who doesn’t read has no advantage over someone who can’t.’
‘A book commits suicide every time you watch a reality show.’
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