Technology, Reading, Thinking

[SOLDIER #819]

I just read an article for my English class called, "In the Beginning Was the Word". You can find it here:

http://www.wilsonquarterly.com/article.cfm?AID=1473

The basic idea is that nowadays (with the standard internet format) we don't take the time to just sit down and get acquainted with books or ideas. We don't really try to get to know an author's (or anyone's) point of view, and mostly just seek expediency in all our intellectual activity. We just take snippets or skim and never really look at anything in depth anymore because it's just convenient and easy.

When we actually do put forth a minimum of time into reading someone else's stuff, it's normally just so we can show off. We're basically just reading so that we can argue, post our own opinion, etc. We don't go in with the expectation of learning something, but so we can gather up the ammo to reinforce our beliefs.

And we love showing off to a large audience. Even the most introverted post on Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc., but when it comes down to writing an essay (even one page) for a class or something we normally think of it as boring or pointless because nothing comes of it... it's just for the prof, after all. The audience just isn't big enough to effect a big change on our lives.

There's more, but I can't remember all of it. Read the article and prove it wrong? Haha. I extracted the stuff I agreed with on some level, and possibly (unintentionally) skewed it to fit my mindset, so yeah.

Are they right? Will you even bother to read this article? Do you think it's a waste of time to read long things when you can get it in an abridged form, despite what may or may not be lost? Do you really even absorb what you read? Do you usually only read in-depth when you think it's something that needs to be defeated by your own opinion? Do you spend more time thinking of what to post on Facebook than you do actually reading on Facebook (barring lurkers)? Did you even read the majority of this drawn out post, or just skim it? So on, so forth.