Old School vs. New School Reading: Don’t Forsake the Past, Be Confident about the Future

As a college student in the new millennia, history is being made and change is impending. With the introduction of innovating technology and online I get overwhelmed at times. Growing up and going to school I was always accustomed to reading print whether it be school books or books I found that caught my interest. When I got to high-school it wasn’t until my junior year I found out about spark notes, summaries, and other online sources that made reading the book utterly pointless to some. As a little fish in a huge ocean of technology I find reading print versions of the New York Times and books to be a relaxing way to be immersed into a topic and digital can be useful, but at times distracting and uninteresting for people, but it is changing.

Serendipity and interest in a printed media source can blossom when going for printed works. Sometimes we may find a topic that peaks our interest and catches our eyes that it becomes a hobby or passion. For me as a child I found a passion in learning about Dinosaurs when my parents took me to a library. When taken to libraries or book stores I didn’t want to read kids books on dinosaurs, but intellectual ones that gave me so much insight on these marvelous creatures that some might call a “happy accident”. When I read articles in the NYT I find various articles on politics or world situations that catch my eye and for moments I forget the world around me. The same can’t be said for others however.

High-school students in today’s era for example, would rather get a quick summary of a book or read it online on their own accord. Often times the content they are reading feels forced, and the optimism diminishes when reading an online version because reading the print feels forced. For me I always judged a book by its cover in grade school until I read books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Martian Chronicles. From them on I never looked at books with a “grain of salt” mentality, but an optimistic one. Serendipity can also play a part in an online scenario as well and may even spark interest. When going online I’ve noticed people can be more inclined to learn about topics and research them to their hearts content. There is a menagerie of topics just waiting to be discovered and people can search them at ease through the use of computers, phones, or tablets. It varies between people, but serendipity through print and digital can flourish in many ways.

Digital reading can be a disadvantage at times however. Even when forced reading, a person alone, relaxed, and in a serene environment can read a printed work and be focused solely on that. Now with digital media, that isn’t always the case. There’s the temptation to look up other stuff that is unrelated to what we may be reading. I know for me and others that can sometimes be the case which is the reason I prefer reading print as opposed to digital. With times changing and children being introduced to technology at a much younger age the danger of being technologically dependent is at hand.  An article by Matt Richtel of the NYT states "Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention".

Economically it is beneficial because youth and adults are buying these devices. My younger brother who is eight is often distracted by his Ipod instead of reading a book and the same goes for my sister who embraces the new changes. However this can prove fatal to the learning process of printed media and unfortunately the damage can be permanent. In my case there is a constant struggle between reading printed media and online media. Sometimes because of the convience or the rush of the morning I may decide to look up something online through my Iphone. Other times I decide to get a paper and to my own leisure look at today’s news. But as technologically makes reading more “convenient” at the same time people are losing their abilities to synthesize information through print and enjoy the experience of written media. But there is hope.

Through the oral tradition, information was spread through word of mouth and as times went on things changed. When books and the ability to write were first invented it changed the way stories were told and events were recorded. Initially books and printed works were for the elite of society because they didn’t want the common folk to read and now at least in the U.S. a great deal of people can read and have access to books. That is truly a remarkable thing to think about and not pass up. There are infinite amounts of printed material just waiting to be discovered and it is something the new generation shouldn’t pass up, but it begins with us. When I visit my family I read to my sister and brother so that the benefits of printed media don’t die. It starts with small steps such as reading to curious minds so that the old traditions never die. So that the wondrous concept of serendipity never dies and importantly to inspire new generations of people who don’t have to rely on technology. As we go along in this new age and witness new changes it can be frustrating to see youth and adults flock to the trap of digital media, but we can fix it. It all starts with just opening a book.