Mass Com Project

The podcast explores how books and reading have changed in the modern age. It discusses the history of books, the concept of illiteracy, and personal experiences with reading. The rise of digital distractions has affected reading habits, but platforms like TikTok and BookTok have inspired a new interest in reading among young people. Traditional bookstores have faced challenges with the rise of e-commerce, but e-books and digital reading platforms have become popular for their convenience. The podcast concludes that while the way we read is changing, illiteracy is not a concern, as there is a shift towards reading among younger generations. Welcome back to my podcast, the show where we explore the ever-evolving world of literature and reading. I'm your host, Anna Favendrot, and today we're diving into the fascinating topic of how books and reading are ever-changing in the modern age. To better understand our current reading and literary culture, let's go back in time and explore a quick history of books. Books are a window into our past. The start of the spread of books begins with the invention of the printing press, allowing the Bible to be mass-produced and distributed throughout Europe in the mid-1400s, with increased availability of affordable books, literary rates skyrocketed, reading was no longer just for the wealthy and elite. Through examination of our lives now, the question is raised, are we going back in time in terms of reading and literacy? Is our increasingly technological world pushing future generations towards illiteracy? Let's dive deeper into that question. So what exactly is illiteracy? Well, it's not to be confused with literacy. Illiteracy refers to the ability to read but choosing not to do so, or reading at a much lower level than one is capable of. In other words, illiteracy is the conscious decision to avoid reading despite having the necessary skills to do so. What do you think? Do you think our society is moving towards illiteracy? For this next segment of our podcast, I'm going to be talking a little bit about my personal experience being a member of Generation Z and seeing how our society is or is not really moving towards illiteracy. Speaking from my personal experience, I always loved to read as a child. I was that kid in elementary school who would get yelled at by the teacher for reading a book instead of paying attention to her lecture. Reading was not only a source of entertainment for me, it was a way for me to connect with my friends to speak about the newest book that we read and our favorite characters. As I grew older, the rise of digital distractions has made it easier for me to turn to quick fix entertainment like social media and streaming services. With so much competing for my attention, sitting down and reading a book felt like a daunting task and not something I did for enjoyment. I remember one day, my mom asked me, why don't you see you reading books anymore, Anna? You used to love it. And I remember telling her, reading is for schoolwork. I read all day in school. And when I get home, I want a quick, easy fix where I don't have to use much brainpower to be entertained. I believe that much of our generation views reading the same way. Fast forward around 10-ish years, I'm now a senior in college and I find myself picking up a book for entertainment again. So what has changed? Although we briefly spoke about how technology has led to the decline in reading in my generation, TikTok was actually what brought me to pick up another book. I was scrolling through my For You page one day when a woman came up reviewing the newest book that she read. I remember thinking, what? People still read for fun? I was sitting next to my roommate when she said, oh my gosh, I read that book. It was so good. That led us into a familiar conversation that I had had many times with my friends back in elementary school. For the next few minutes, my friend and I spoke about how we both loved to read, but it kind of fell off when we were in high school and middle school. We both attributed this to the rise of social media and streaming services. But she told me that about three years ago, she started reading for fun again and hasn't gone back since. My conversation with her along with the video I had just seen on my TikTok For You page inspired me to pick up another book and start reading again. We all know, if you watch or interact with a video on a social media page, similar videos will continue to be shown to you. So over the next few months, my TikTok For You page became increasingly more and more book-related. I was on a side of TikTok which has been branded BookTok. So what exactly is BookTok? BookTok is a side of TikTok where creators share and talk about the books that they've read and what new novels they are thinking about reading. This side of TikTok inspires a lot of viewers like me to pick up a book again. BookTok isn't the only social media platform that is influencing young people around the world to start reading. Places like Bookstagram, Goodreads, and Literary Twitter have become virtual meeting grounds. People will share recommendations, engage in discussions, and connect with like-minded readers. The discussion of virtual meeting grounds has led us to our next topic. Where do we get our books now? Again, looking back in time, I'm sure we all have memories of mom-and-pop bookstores around the corner in every town. Bookstores have long been more than just retail spaces. They have been cultural hubs where people gather to explore, discover, and connect. However, with the rise of e-commerce, digital reading platforms, and convergence, traditional bookstores have faced increasing challenges, leading to closures and the decline in the number of independent bookshops. In fact, data shows that around 40% of all books purchased are bought off of Amazon. The closure of bookstores not only affects readers, but also authors, publishers, and local economies. This notable decline in bookstores does not necessarily equate to a decline in readers. This can be attributed, in part, to the increase in e-books and digital reading platforms. Many of the people that I know who enjoy reading for entertainment own a Kindle. They have transitioned from paper reading to digital reading solely due to convenience. If you own a Kindle, you can store hundreds, if not thousands, of novels and conveniently bring it around wherever you go. This convenience would be impossible with paper books. Through what we've discussed in our podcast today, it is clear that the way that we read books is definitely changing. But I do not believe that illiteracy is something we should worry about in the future. From the viewpoint of somebody who has grown up with streaming services, the rise of the internet, and social media, I have noticed a shift in my peers who have been moving away from forms of digital entertainment and back towards reading. So what do you think? After listening to this podcast today, do you think our society is moving towards a culture of alliteracy, or are we just changing the way that we consume books? Thank you for tuning in today, and happy reading!