Do You Even Lit.?? (Zack)

9/28/2023

Looking around school I notice that our peers have all but stopped reading compared to the generations before us. Seeing everyone on their phone's looking for the next five second clip to make them happy saddens me. Do you think the introduction of mobile phones and the internet has stopped kids from reading as much?

I absolutely think that my peers have stopped reading as much. Back in elementary and middle school other kids read just as much as me, it helped me feel challenged. Now with us being seniors in high school I see no one (minus the select few) actually reading anything besides their friend's Instagram post. It's not even kids who have stopped reading with reports saying that 50% haven't read a full book in a year. This is a dilemma that is affecting everyone but not enough people care to try and put the phone down for the day.

12 Comments

Krissy Freitas

10/1/2023 11:33:32 am

Zack, I agree with you. When I was younger I would read every single night with my mom and grandma, and I did that habitually until middle school. Which was about the time I got my first cellphone. Although, I have always been very busy, I always seem to find time to scroll through Tik Tok or Instagram, but I rarely pick up a book anymore unless I have a reading project. I think this has been the same thing for a lot of students all over these days.

Halle Peets

10/1/2023 07:07:22 pm

I have noticed the same thing, I know people that brag about reading less than a book a year. To me that is just sad, that to some people not reading is something to flex. I feel this is something within our culture that needs to be worked on, a good place to start is by disconnecting from our cell phones.

Sidney

10/1/2023 07:14:24 pm

I also am very busy, but somehow find time to watch Instagram stories every night before I go to bed. Part of my bedtime routine is relaxing on my phone to wind down for the night, but I could easily turn that into reading a book. Reading would be much more beneficial.

Shaylee Turner

10/1/2023 07:37:46 pm

What you said about going so busy but instead one will be scrolling through the phone is so true. I feel like there always has to be something done whether it be with my schoolwork or at home or personal goals. But instead of doing them, I'll be wasting that time on my phone. It is a habit I am trying to break and not put me more behind then I feel I am.

Sidney

10/1/2023 05:57:05 pm

I too believe that the invention of technology has impacted whether or not people feel inclined to read. I hear students around me saying how they do not remember the last time they read a full book due to the resources that electronics provide. This is sad to me, and making our society as a whole less intelligent. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of reading, but I still make sure I complete the books that I do for schoolwork.

Shaylee Turner

10/1/2023 07:32:32 pm

I do to agree that students have forgotten the last time they have read a book. Or even when they have to read a book for school, they will simply look up the summary or whatever they need to know online because they rather do that then spend a few hours reading it. But it's sad to say because they will instead spend those hours on their phones. And I agree with that it is making our society a whole less intelligent.

Shaylee Turner

10/1/2023 06:30:31 pm

I very much agree with this statement. I feel that this generation does not read as much as the generations before. Unless it's something online, I see very few people actually reading a hardcover book. When I was younger, I loved to read. The school would have a summer reading program, if you read so many books and filled out a sheet documenting it, you could get a free ice cream cone from Saveway. I would fill it out every summer while I was in elementary school but now it is much hard for myself to open a book. And I would say that is a problem because I really love to read. But sometimes I would rather spend that free hour scrolling on my phone or I won't read unless it's for school. Also, another really sad thing is that some people seem to be proud of not reading for a long time when in reality books and reading are a way of freedom. Freedom to see in another point of view and a way to escape the reality of our world.

Halle Peets

10/1/2023 07:02:38 pm

I absolutely agree, once I get on my phone it is so easy to get lost in it and waste my time. A next step for me is to take a step back and read more that I do now. Books are such valuable resources that we take for-granted, society is starting to leave literature in the past.

Krissy

10/3/2023 01:15:53 pm

I used to do the summer reading challenge every summer too! I miss those days of making time to read every day. It is sad to me how much reading isn’t incorporated in a lot of our worlds now, and I hope to eventually change that for mine!

Halle Peets

10/1/2023 06:58:16 pm

I have actually had this topic on my mind a lot recently. In particular, I have realized how the average person spends their free time on their phone rather than doing chores, hobbies, or reading. For example, people used to have their morning coffee while reading the newspaper. Compared to now people will scroll through their social media with a coffee. In general, reading is more of a chore to people than it was even ten to twenty years ago. I do believe that this is because of our phones, it is proven that our brains release dopamine when on a phone, this dopamine release is very addictive. Using a cell phone produces the same feeling as sugar, or even substances such as opioids, alcohol, or nicotine. I have even read some sources that claim that using a phone can be just as addictive and harmful as taking drugs.

Sidney

10/1/2023 07:08:50 pm

I do not doubt that phones are just as addictive as drugs etc. I catch myself being on my phone much more than I would like to, so I have been trying to be better about it.

Krissy

10/3/2023 01:13:29 pm

I like how you said cell phones can be an addiction too. This is very true and I for one know I am definitely addicted to mine! I’m trying to slow it down so hopefully after some time I can get reading more!

Do You Even Lit.?? (Zack)

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