I read something recently that said the way we read is changing. As a result of this technological age – Sorry, just got a facebook update… Where was I? Oh yes; what with blogs and tweets and texts, we are easily distracted. Personally I can’t get the hang of texting. I think my fingers are too fat or something because what I think I text and what actually prints on the screen are two different things.
The writer suggested that this phenomenon of being easily distracted could eventually be the death of reading as we know it. I’m not so sure. Hang on, my little frenchman notifier (so sexy) has just said I ‘ave mail… Where was I? Oh yes, that’s right, distractions while reading… I used to teach primary school children, and believe me being distracted while reading is as old as dirt. I reckon even back in the cave, when the shaman etched a stick figure waving a spear at a bison and ‘read’ the story to a rapt audience, some little kid was poking his sister in the ribs and making fart noises in his armpit.
Even before computers, iphones, ipads and ipods, people often multi-tasked while reading a book. My mother used to crochet, supervise my homework, cook a meal, and read a book at the same time. By the way, books are excellent information devices because they don’t need to be plugged-in, or have a battery. They work any and every time. It doesn’t matter if you put it down for a while, the words stay ‘on-screen’ and you don’t lose them if there’s a power failure. Books never have a problem with the blue screen of death.
As long as people like a good story we story-tellers will find a way to share them: books, kindles, e-books, film, plays, street-theatre, puppets, cave walls… And there’ll always be distractions: power shortages, phone calls, text messages, hungry kids… Hang on: f/b again. I just made a new friend. He’s a writer, too. How about that?!
To be honest, as long as I can get my stories out there and people want to read them I’ll adjust to whatever technology throws at me. The most flexible part of my body (some would say the only flexible part of my body) is my brain. Happy flexing everyone.