I read some staggering statistics this morning about the state of reading here in the United States. I learned that 42% of university graduates in this country have never read another book after college. Think about it. When was the last time you read a book cover to cover? And, yes, Fifty Shades counts, although I have to admit I haven’t finished the first book in that series yet even though I’ve had all three for several months.
This is the thing – I’ve noticed two very different perspectives on this, and it’s clouding our judgment on these statistics. The generation before me was a generation full of traditional book readers. The people in that generation typically gasp at how little my generation reads. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but I need to make something clear about this so all you older folks don’t think the generation after you is filled with a bunch of uneducated morons.
I’m on my computer about fourteen hours a day, and that’s not an exaggeration. I read all day long. My brain sometimes aches from the amount of information I take in on a daily basis. So, just because we may not be reading traditional books or even e-books, it does not mean we aren’t reading. I think most people in my generation would agree with me on this. We read A LOT, right? As a matter of fact, we are known as being the most information hungry generation thus far, and we have streamlined our technology so we can take as much in as possible.
So, while it may be true that I haven’t finished Fifty Shades of Grey or any other traditional book I’ve purchase over the last year, that doesn’t reflect on how much I know, if that makes sense. Instead of judging us for the shortcomings you see, try to understand that we are just different than you, that’s all. Now I’ll get off my soap box and present to you a very inspiring book fountain in Budapest which is a wonderful tribute to traditional books. This is the most creative fountain I’ve seen in a very long time.
The To Read Or Not To Read infographic below was created by Best Essays. The infographic doesn’t list the sources for those stats, so I don’t know how legit that info is. In addition to that, there are grammar mistakes in it which make me wonder about the facts; however, it was still thought provoking so I wanted to share it with you anyway. Enjoy!
Click Infographic To Enlarge
Via: [visual.ly] [Diary of a Death Starlette]
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