Comments on: How We Read

By: susiej

susiej — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:53:09 +0000

This post terrifies me. Because, so much of what the kids do is on the internet… It is easier to skim on the Internet, but on a page, a book that you hold, you read… you savor. (Although I read all of your words here.) This bothers me… I had no idea who Internet reading affected the brain.

By: henitsirk

henitsirk — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:48:26 +0000

Lisa Anne: Thanks for hanging in there!

By: Lisa Anne

Lisa Anne — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:24:38 +0000

I notice on longer posts on other people’s blogs (ahem) I tend to skim read and then read again, if I am interested. I really think that the computer causes us shorter attention spans, it also makes me cranky if I am on too long.
I did read your post in its entirety.

By: henitsirk

henitsirk — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:37:57 +0000

Sometimes I’m suspicious that my computer use affects my time available for “real” reading even more than my attention span. And then there’s the real difference in intention between reading online and on paper. I typically use the internet for finding information or for reading I intend to be short, like blogs or short articles. So I wonder if something similar affected the study results I quoted. The article did mention that they discarded overly long pages as probably user agreements or academic articles that would be printed for reading!

Goodwitch reminded me of another place where true conscious intention often gets neglected: handwriting. My son like to have me write stories for his drawings, or things like the little menus he and Napoleona dictated to me this morning to accompany their play dough restaurant. I find myself realizing that I want to model careful, beautiful writing for them. I have have pretty neat handwriting and printing in general, but it’s another place where I realized that I don’t really pay attention most of the time.

By: goodwitch

goodwitch — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:08:44 +0000

Uggh, this is something I have recently been examining. Like you, I am an avid reader and have been for as long as I can remember. I notice that now I have to work to slow down. I don’t think (in my case, at least) this is so much a result of the internet as of childbearing. I now do everything faster (and more half-assed!…I feel like Charles Bingley when he’s talking about how he writes letters so quickly that he screws up half the words.) I find that I simply cannot focus on only one thing at a time, be it reading or cooking, whatever.

Now, instead of multi-tasking (what a crock) I am forcing myself to slowly single-task.

By: Gypsy

Gypsy — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:42:13 +0000

Paid to read! You lucky thing. I do worry that internet reading makes me more agitated, more ‘fast pace’ – so I think you make a good point. I have been helping someone test their new website – I didn’t need to read the text but of course, I did – not even intentionally but I can’t look at a page and not read it – I guess some of us are just bookworms!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:13:37 +0000

You bring out such a good point. I have been concerned about what the amount of internet reading I do has done to my attention span and try to limit myself.
I do think you have a fabulous job- being paid to read.

By: sarah

sarah — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:33:16 +0000

I think we’re re-wiring ourselves. Last fall I noticed that my attention span had greatly diminished. I wasn’t reading many book, etc. I cut way back on my computer use and things improved. Yet another reason why my kids don’t need to be on the computer….

I’m an anti-billboard fanatic having lived in Maine before VT. I’ll be so bummed if billboards really do arrive in VT.