Older bookworms: do you read fewer books since the advent of the internet?

Question: Older bookworms: do you read fewer books since the advent of the internet!?

The internet is a great tool, but often distracting!. Very distracting!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Excellent question!. Short answer, no!. The Internet takes up a lot of my time, to be sure, but I also use it to shop, to watch stocks, to listen to music, as well as stay informed!. However, these are not the same reasons I read books!.

In addition to fiction, both literary and popular, I also enjoy reading biography, history, science, and whatever subject I happen to be interested in at the moment!. For all of these, the Internet doesn't seem to offer the same in depth treatment that a book does!. It is great to be able to find so much information on the Net, but I also think that much of the advantage of the Internet is in its timeliness!.I'm definitely reading fewer newspapers because of the Internet!.

I also think it's safe to say that more effort goes into writing, editing, and publishing a book than goes into a web page, whatever its content!. This leads me to have more confidence in a book than in a webpage!. Putting words on paper and binding the pages doesn't necessarily make the information more reliable, but an author usually puts more work into their book than you'll find online!. As an example, compare John Meacham's recent biography of Andrew Jackson (American Lion) with Jackson's entry on Wikipedia!. I'd use Wikipedia if I wanted to check a fact, but I'd read Meacham's book if I had a deep interest in the subject!.

Lastly, there's something aesthetically pleasing about reading books!. I remember seeing an episode of Star Trek where the Captain settles in to his 24th-century quarters with an actual hardbound book; I get that!. While it's true that there are a lot of good books available online in places like Google Books or Project Gutenberg, I don't take a laptop to bed!. I have an endtable, covered with books!. Low tech, to be sure, but somehow more satisfying!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't read as often but not because of the internet!. It's because I now have a child and cannot get through more than a chapter when he's awake!. I find books a lot more interesting than the internet and could never read an entire book online!. There's something about turning the pages and getting lost between the binder that just makes reading so much more enjoyable, versus the scrolling of a mouse and the clickety clack of the keyboard!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I guess I qualify as older: I'm 57!. :-)

I actually read MORE than I did before!. I can order used books for very reasonable price and have them delivered without having to drive 20+ miles to the library!. The Internet has given me access to many more options than my library -- seeing the inventory of thousands of used bookstores consolidated into a few websites (Amazon, Alibris, Abebooks, etc!.) allows me to find out of print books, too!.

I used the distraction of the Internet as a "break" from my work on my thesis and other day-to-day stuff!. I spend about an hour on email in the a!.m!., then another hour in the middle of the day doing stuff like this, and finally another hour or so in the evening!. I DO use the Internet for research (I have access to Doctoral Dissertations Online and JSTOR, the scholarly journal archives), so I'm usually searching for papers/etc!. a couple of times a week, depending on what I'm working on!.

So I may be the exception here !.!.!.!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

definitely!. i'm probably not considered "older" as i'm only 22 but since i could read (which was much earlier than most people), that was all i did!. i was the definition of a bookworm!. now, i'm lucky if i read a few books a month!. i don't totally blame that on the internet, though, i partially blame my busy life as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I agree, it is distracting!. I spend several hours a day on the interent that I would probably have spent reading a few years ago!. I still manage to get in a few hours reading a day though, and I probably read about two books a week on average!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I do actually spend far less time reading actual books now, but I am still reading -- I read a LOT of fanfiction!. Most of it is terrible, but some of it is better than the original!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I read fewer _books_, but I read more overall - I've started reading, reviewing, and betaing fanfiction (and writing it too)!. I've found I prefer being a participant to a spectator :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

No I have been reading far more since we got the internet!. I joined a book club and have has such good recommendations I now read far more books and different ones too!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Counting eBooks, I read about the same!.
Not counting eBooks and articles, I read less!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Most definitelyWww@QuestionHome@Com