A Question of Reading

Reading has become rare among young people of last generation. Many give up easily on reading for internet, films or computer games, but probably without knowing how important is for them to read and how many benefits it has. A good writing is the gift to its readers to move them through a series of feelings and emotions, which culminates with a general feeling of satisfaction. During the years I have experienced reading in many ways. Whether it was for pleasure, for curiosity, for the desire of learning more, or just for completing a school assignment, I came to believe that in order for the text to be understood you need a longer period of time, you have to let the words to capture you and carry you into the story.

In the context of reading, technology seems to take place over classicism. If in the past the shelf was full to bursting with titles that were hoped to be consumed at some indeterminate point in the future, now it would be a lot easier to manage reading by downloading all those texts on an electronic device. But there's something about print that I can't give up. There's something about holding a page in your hand and the visceral act of physically turning it that, for me at least, can't be matched with pixels on a screen.

However, as a documentation tool for a fast reading, internet has its very important role.

Digital reading has become indispensable, now is involved in all school activities and lessons. It is easier to access information via internet; and easier access means more efficiency, which is crucial in the context of a “running” world. But when I want to migrate in another world, the print version of a text is irreplaceable. Even if the internet has its uncontestable benefits, I believe that is the print format that has its sentimental value.

The battle between print and digital format might go on forever. It is the kind of subject that could stay for a long time as topic of debate because no one can be objective in this case; we are comparing the internet-process of technology and evolution of the human brain, with an organized amalgam of pages-process of the brain concretized by human feelings. There is no place for analogy. The importance of both is so subjective that any comment would be in vain.

During my years of studying and being part of a generation of technological improvement, I understood the obsessive desire of using the internet. The feeling that you can find anything, anytime, the feeling that you can fulfill any desire is like a poison for the brain. You can find any article you want in just few seconds; just few “clicks” and you are done…no flipping of pages, just efficiency. But…because there is always a but that amplifies things, from the movement of the mouse on the screen to the depth of pages, the depth created by the feeling you have when you touch them, is a step that seems impossible for me. It is all about the structure of the reader.

In my opinion, the pages are a palpably concrete, you carry them everywhere, their letters are imprinted on your retina, they become vital objects. I believe that is a strong bond between me and the print version that can’t be removed by the digital labyrinth. And I would choose print version for one more reason: it is something in the pages that is not letting me giving up on reading…there is always something new that catches my eye and my mind and makes me to want more of that feeling. Sitting in front of the computer, reading becomes robotic, is more about the information itself rather than the words beyond the text. Having to choose between a fade reading on a screen and the warm pages of a newspaper, I would definitely go with the more classical version.