Time has changed rapidly. There was a time when people were involved in reading. They used to spend much of their time reading, specially the kids. There used to be a different excitement within them on getting the books. Working professionals too loved to spend their time reading on their way back. But that is gone by. That time is far lost.
With the advancement in technology the pleasure of reading is gone. As our phones got smarter we lost the smartness. The invention that was done for betterment of human beings proved to be a major disaster for reading. Instead of better utilisation of this technology we are wasting our time in it. Most of the people are involved in gaming, watching useless videos and useless activities. The time that can be utilised in an effective way is lost in doing nothing. Though the entertainment is do required but it is upon us to set the limit. I think this is what makes the difference between a successful person and an average person. It is the quality of time spent, which is we younger generation aren't utilising aptly.
Also, we have lost the joy of reading. With the inception of web series and online streaming sites we have forgotten the simple fun of reading. Who wants to read a book in 6-7 days when we can easily watch a movie in less than 3 hours. That seems to be a much simpler option. Who would prefer to read whole newspaper when we can easily see the news on television or on websites of news channels. Why waste hours reading the thick paper which is more and more becoming advertising menu, which again links back to the reduction in number of readers due to which to cover the cost, the advertisements in newspapers have gone up. Nowadays we don't see people reading magazines or kids going mad for "CHAMPAK" as there are too many cartoons channels at their disposal.
Book shops have gone vacant. Libraries are dying. There used to be time when books were printed in numbers and there was a great audience for it. Books used to get sold out and customers have to wait for next round to come. Same is the case now. But this time it's due to limited stock. Sometimes no one knows when next round will come up and where it will be available. As a result customers have shifted to online buying sites as here getting a book of desire is easy plus better price options are available. As a result we can't know exact number of physical buyers as local book shop has gone extinct. They have in turn increased the stock of school, college and entrance exam books as their sales are higher than other reading materials. Only surviving book stores for novel and story books are big stores like Crosswords, but they too have increased the stock of other items like Toys and gadgets as their sale chances and revenue from it are much higher. Have they lost the trust on sale of books? Is this the end of reading era?
Book shops have gone vacant. Libraries are dying. There used to be time when books were printed in numbers and there was a great audience for it. Books used to get sold out and customers have to wait for next round to come. Same is the case now. But this time it's due to limited stock. Sometimes no one knows when next round will come up and where it will be available. As a result customers have shifted to online buying sites as here getting a book of desire is easy plus better price options are available. As a result we can't know exact number of physical buyers as local book shop has gone extinct. They have in turn increased the stock of school, college and entrance exam books as their sales are higher than other reading materials. Only surviving book stores for novel and story books are big stores like Crosswords, but they too have increased the stock of other items like Toys and gadgets as their sale chances and revenue from it are much higher. Have they lost the trust on sale of books? Is this the end of reading era?
Though sometimes we do find people reading in trains and metros, but mostly they are students who are preparing for their competitive exams like CAT, UPSC and many other. Rarely we find anyone reading novels, magazines, newspaper or other story books. Also, with smart phones came a new market of E-books. There is a huge market for it and people buying them. But are they reading them? What percentage of population who bought them actually reads those books? Are they able to get time for it? As I see it is the last thing they do on their phones. With so many things in that phone, it's easy to get diverted, to lose interest, too lose flow. One whatsapp or one google for something takes them to a total different track. And major disadvantage is battery. With battery going down they skip the reading and leave it for next day and that day never comes. Personally I feel these e-books cannot provide the pleasure of a physical book, that physical touch, the memory lane that we go through and the story we live while holding on that physical book. That cannot be felt in e-books. But we can't change the perspective of someone or their behavioral patterns. It's upon us how we view this.
Though my this material is published online, my book was published as an e-book, but I personally feel printer version & physical reading is more pleasurable than online one & other non-productive online activities.
Though my this material is published online, my book was published as an e-book, but I personally feel printer version & physical reading is more pleasurable than online one & other non-productive online activities.
But in all thought is that is this an end of reading era? Or, only print era? With the issue of environment protection and sustainability at its high and need to protect trees for better future, will print era come to an end in next 15-20 years. If not all prints, but will newspapers, magazines and small prints exit from our lives? Will physical books exit from our lives too?
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