America’s Facebook Generation Is Reading Strong
From NPR:
In what may come as a pleasant surprise to people who fear the Facebook generation has given up on reading — or, at least, reading anything longer than 140 characters — a new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project reveals the prominent role of books, libraries and technology in the lives of young readers, ages 16 to 29.
. . . .
“We found that about 8 in 10 Americans under the age of 30 have read a book in the past year. And that’s compared to about 7 in 10 adults in general, American adults. So, they’re reading — they’re more likely to read, and they’re also a little more likely to be using their library.”
. . . .
“We heard from e-book readers in general [that] they don’t want e-books to replace print books. They see them as part of the same general ecosystem; e-books supplement their general reading habits. And we heard from a lot of younger e-book readers about how e-books just fit into their lives — how they can read when they’re waiting in line for class, or waiting in line for lunch. One reader in particular told us that when he has a book that he loves, he wants to be able to access it in any format. So with the Harry Potter series and the [Song of Ice and Fire] series, he’s actually bought all of those books as print books and as e-books, just because they matter that much to him …
Link to the rest at NPR
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Fears that the “Facebook generation” can’t read more than 140 characters?
Methinks the writer of this is decidedly not of the “Facebook generation.” Or even the internet generation.
I wonder what impact ebooks will have on book collectors and first editions. People often buy a popular book and save it as a sort of investment. It will be interesting to watch.
“they’re also a little more likely to be using their library.”
Yeah, because we can’t get jobs.
I was going to say this sounds like me and my friends, but actually, I have more than 10 friends and I don’t know anyone who’s read fewer than one book in the past year.
It’s wonderful to hear that the gift of reading has so successfully harmonized with this digital age, yet is still holding its historical heritage.