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I read on here pretty much all day. Work involves a lot of reading. I read the NYT most days and The Economist weekly. I still read the occasional book, though that has lessened over the years.
Not reading per se, but the amount of time has shrunk... By the time you (I) get through various digital feeds, there is not much time left to enjoy slow reading.
In addition, the fact that I've subscribed to those feeds in 3 languages, reacting to "bombshells" in each case, (as opposite to news predominantly in English before), my writing has become affected: pausing a fraction of time longer, figuring out which language I'm writing in and how it's spelled.
Not my reading as much as my spelling and grammar. They've definitely gotten worse since I have been given such a banquet of alternate choices.
That's why I really like having Alexa right next to me. Ask for correct spelling, or definition and she's right there with the answer. I could also use my laptop for that, but Alexa is more fun. And she tells jokes, gives the local weather report, and can be used as a countdown timer. A very useful device!
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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On the contrary, I read a lot more now with the internet. Books are bulky and for some reason make me sleepy. I'm not into novels, but read to keep up on news and to learn. I can read a lot on the iPad or even phone and do so. The other advantage is still getting messages, emails and alerts while reading, can respond if I want, then go back to where I left off.
Some experts alert on the negative consequences of internet, in the long run, especially in the young brain. One of them is a reduction in the enjoyment of reading. Watching videos all day long and sending short messages makes the brain lazy and ADD, it becomes little prone to the intellectual effort and focus required to reading books.
Internet use didnt become part of my life until well in my 20s, (I am an X generation guy), so I guess I am in the safe zone, although sometimes I do feel like I procastinate a little bit when it comes to reading and rather have an internet binge. Sometimes I must literary force myself to open a book
So I wonder if younger generations are negatively affectd in this regard? Have you notied any detrimental effects in your reading patterns, or on the reading patterns of friend and family?
As a product of this generation, I can confidently say that it doesn't matter whether I'm reading off of a screen or a paper page in a book. It's the quality and level of material that expands your vocabulary and actually teaches you valuable things.
I'll admit that getting poorly crafted content onto the internet is much easier than getting it published in a book. It requires readers to filter the content themselves when choosing to believe or discount a story.
I'd not blame any degeneration of my skills on the existence of, or my use of, the internet.
Now, me CHOOSING to rely on autocorrect - on my phone only, typing with thumbs - for some capitalization and spelling corrections ONCE I learn to anticipate what its behavior will be, is all on me. It's a risk I take to maintain a certain speed.
Autocorrect does not interfere when typing numbers or typing in web address fields. This is where autocomplete comes into play.
Conveniences come with the requirement of discipline and acceptance of risk when using these conveniences. It's up to the user to decide whether or not to rely on such technology and proofread.
The internet hasn't hurt my reading skills at all, nor has it hurt my grammar and spelling ... but it has certainy hurt my handwriting. My penmanship, once fairly decent, is terrible now. It's because I basically never write anything ... always typing.
I'm not sure what's worse; my handwriting or my typing. My handwriting I blame on my genes; there have been a bazillion doctors in my family (it's an inside nurses joke).
For me; the internet has been with reading what an endless stash supply is to an addict. I'm increasingly disorganized & my time management skills (almost a pun) are deteriorating.
I'm an atypical Hyperlexic (precocious reading ability) which is considered a Savant ability but the sheer amount of reading material online is going to be my undoing. A "typical" hyperlexic would plateau during adolescence, during which time same-age peers would catch up, resulting in the hyperlexic just being above average (versus freakishly above average).
Mine didn't do that & I'm now reading at over 1,360 words per minute. Google has now decided I'm a CPU or a security risk (data mining?) & I have to jump through hoops to "prove you are not a robot" occasionally.
My comprehension level is within the top 2% of persons ever tested so it's not like I'm not learning stuff as I go but it would be nice if it were somewhat marketable, versus just being a novelty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bygeorge
But, the internet is killing my eyesight. I am elderly so I wonder what will become of younger people who will spend a lifetime staring at a screen.
I know! I'm 50 & sometimes I will look up from a bright screen & everything is a blur. It's like my pupils have a charley horse.
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