Recent studies have shown that, overall, across all media, Americans are reading less for pleasure than ever before. This is not just literature, novels, etc., it is all forms of the written word, including magazines, even the mighty Internet. Yes, that includes blogs. Less than a third of adults reported reading any literature in the past year that was not required for school or some other task.

It sounds shocking at first, but really, who didn’t see this coming?

In fact, those stats seem pretty high to me. I think out of everyone I know, only 3 or 4 people would be considered regular readers. Sitting down with a book has become a quaint old-fashioned notion of novelty, almost an affectation, like pipe smoking, cigar collecting, homebrewing, bonsai trees, single malt scotch and Civil War enthusiasm.

This obviously distresses me, since 70%-80% of what I do with my life is based on writing, and therefore, by extension, reading. Am I training in an obsolete trade? Is my dream of becoming a successful writer like my dream of becoming a successful blacksmith?

And what exactly is causing this decline in literacy? The obvious answer is that there aren’t enough “Reading is FUN” signs in our libraries. How are people supposed to know, if they aren’t told? I think if you were to examine the statistics you would find a very clear link between the decline of Elijah Wood’s “To read is to make a Hobbit!” posters and the decline of American reading. But while this is certainly a major contributing factor, there must be others, because I’ve seen my fair share of pro-reading ads, and even find myself reading a lot less than I used to. What’s going on? Let’s take a look at some of the elements of modern society that are outgrowing the written word…

TV

The low cost and ease of production of reality shows featuring bland and engaging automatons in crude parodies of life situations allow for a huge explosion in the number of television shows, with each channel boasting dozens of similar programs, each with its own spin-offs, knock-offs, and webisodes. until achieving total psychological saturation. All available brain space is filled with the televised thoughts of vapid and attractive automatons.

Direct to video imitation movies

Having seen all the other Blockbuster movies by now, people turn to low-budget home movies that are released to coincide with theatrical films with similar names and themes, ie Transformers/Transmorphers, Beowulf/Beowolf.

Vlogging (Watch YouTube)

Tired of taking in strangers’ stupid thoughts by reading them in written form, Americans are turning to video blogs, or “Vlogs,” where they can listen to strangers’ stupid thoughts while watching their faces from a camera angle. uncomfortably close and random. assigning them celebrity status on a public whim.

Sports/Video Games

Competitive entertainment allows bored Americans to work on their reflexes and mental prowess without doing anything, to feel part of something without being part of something. People flock to sports/video games as an outlet for their personal energies and as a general mental anesthetic. Helps relieve the pressure of disposable income and time.

Beowulf: The IMAX 3D Experience

The CGI animated film hurls arrows, spears, axes, blood, guts, and naked Angelina Jolie right at viewers, driving us completely insane and making us want to read, write, talk, or walk ever again.

Youtube

Endless supply of videos where lightsabers have been digitally placed in the hands of people or animals who previously didn’t have lightsabers.

There seems to be a trend here. As part of the general movement away from difficulty and toward comfort and instant gratification, humanity seems to be trying to avoid even the difficult senses. The popularity of video blogging shows that people would rather pour information into their brain through their ears than have to focus their eyes on the letters and try to understand the writing. Is the day too far away when even listening to information is considered too much effort? Too boring, too slow?

Probably just in time for the invention of direct connections to the brain. Entertainment will not require us to use our senses at all. It will just download right into our minds in a lot of sticky information. A completely new way of blogging will appear, not the web log or the video log: the “brain log” or… “blog”.