Five reasons why people don’t read anymore
In the last years, studies have shown that people have abandoned books. They do not read that much anymore and the reasons for this fact can be numerous. A study made in 2008 in the United States revealed the fact that 40 percent of the Americans read one book or less a year. And about 80 percent of the US families haven’t bought a book in the passed year. Is this a reality that should worry us? Will the next years mean the end of books? But until we can give a valid answer to those questions, we can definitely try to find the reason why people don’t read books anymore.
Why read the book when you can much easier watch the movie? This is the way people put the problem nowadays. Maybe the “Twilight Saga” is the best example to express this point of view. At the premiere of the movie the cinemas were full, but how many people actually read the book? Or how many people heard about them before the movie was made? A movie is so much easier to watch, it ends quicker and in just about 2 hours you know the whole story, while when you read a book you have to wait days before knowing the end, of course, if you don’t read the end before you actually finish the book.
When asked why they don’t read books, people answer that the main cause is the lack of time. Schedules are so full that you can not find time for yourself, to take a few moments to relax, and definitely there is not time for books. However, reading can, in most of the cases, be quite relaxing and a very good way to spend time.
“They are not such a good investment” is another reason people give to motivate the fact that they don’t read. But, besides being available in book shops, in sale, books can be read also in libraries and you can always borrow them. But, books are not that advertised, at least not the way movies are, and people don’t know what to read. Finding the book can also take some time.
“Reading is tiring” or at least this is what people claim to justify the fact that they don’t read. But, a book can give you a very different perspective compared to a movie and from this point of view, it is worth to try to make the effort. And reading an interesting book that will keep you concentrate can definitely make you feel anyway, but not tired.
“Reading is difficult” and this is not only a phrase you see in comedies with guys that have never seen a book in their lives. It is a reality and people always choose the easy way. The fact is that many individuals don’t like to read, or at least they start with this misconception, that reading is hard and so, they can not do it with pleasure.
How can books make their come back? Or is after all so bad the fact that people don’t read anymore and have replaced books with movies and TV shows?
I don’t think that people stopped reading book to watch the same story on TV. They stopped because they find TV and computers a better form of entertainment. My mother used to read books a lot when she was my age but know that she stopped, it’s not like she watches movies. She uses TVs to see game shows and political talk shows mostly. She also likes to play puzzle and card games on the computer because she sees it as a form of relaxation.
Too bad, I think anyone can find at least one hour to read. No one says that you have to read the entire book in one sitting. Even though I enjoy watching movies very much, I say that reading a book is way superior. You get to imagine the things you read, and that is much better in my opinion.