Net vs. Books

Net vs. Books

I am writing this lifestream item from high above the US on American Airlines. It occurs to me up here that there are very few times these days when I am disconnected. And that experience, thanks to my smartphone, is getting a lot richer. This is changing my content consumption.

It used to be I would read/listen to dozens of books a year - mostly business and computer titles, occasionally nonfiction. However, I noticed that as the web becomes always on, so am I. This means that the times I would read, like on airplanes, I don't anymore. The Net ate my books.

So, I am curious to hear from you - is the Internet eroding your book time? I can't tell if this is a broader trend or not. If it is, what does it mean?

33 comments

Jul 08, 2009

Bill Rice said...

I am an avid reader. So, my book time is a treasured disconnect. I also like to dive back in time with my favorite genre, history and biographies. These seem to always remind me that there are few patterns that history does not repeat--great insight into the future.

Jul 08, 2009

phil shapiro said...

I work at a public library, surrounded by books, and I find I'm reading fewer books these days. The Internet has cut into my book reading time, but it has also eliminated my television watching time. About three years ago my television broke and I told myself I'd buy a replacement if I could think of a good reason. I haven't thought of a good reason to.

As a knowledge professional I need to stay informed and have a broad base of knowledge to draw from. The Internet does me well in that regard.

Jul 08, 2009

tommyl said...

Thanks to the Kindle, I haven't really reduced my book time - much. But I hardly ever spend time in bookstores anymore, and I do miss that. Browsing online just isn't the same experience.

Jul 08, 2009

Kevin Arth said...

The Net definitely cuts into my book time (blogs, twitter, RSS, etc), but I have a Kindle2 and am a huge reader. I always try to leave some time for reading at the end of they day.

Jul 08, 2009

MakeWavesBonnie said...

I treasure and protect my book time so I don't read less. I sometimes use the Kindle but it doesn't render maps and other detailed illustrations very well, so for most nonfiction titles I still prefer printed books.

Jul 08, 2009

jonathan said...

I'm a librarian who deals mainly with kid's & teen books and have found that net time has eaten into TV time rather than book time. Once the kids are down, my wife and I settle down in front of the computers instead if the box.

I read a lot on the train but have no data connection on my phone. This may change soon and I'm not sure what will happen to my train reading time.

Jul 08, 2009

Martin Lindeskog said...

I am reading more books than before. It is a great value for me. I am reading books for reviews on blogs, podcast interviews, inspiration, knowledge etc.

Jul 08, 2009

Gible Fog said...

Not really. And many of my books are ebooks as well as dead trees now too. I'm looking forward to getting a CrunchPad or similar lightweight & non-proprietary tablet I can read them on.

Jul 08, 2009

wayan_vota said...

Books? You mean processed cellulose, pressed into blocks, used by the pre-Digirati peoples? Who has time to read them anymore? Especially you, who is now post-blogging. Books don't seem to fit your "stream" theme.

I would think you'd mark the line, like I have, at long magazine or newspaper articles, finding anything longer taking away from content creation (vs. consumption) time. Please don't tell me you even consider TV or movies. Time sucks both.

Jul 08, 2009

Kevin Arth said...

I would argue that consuming content is one very important way of
acquiring ideas about which to write.

>
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Jul 08, 2009

Brandon Mendelson said...

I've found myself reading more books. A lot of the content online can be disjointed and not have a clear organization. I learn better having things collected and the quiet time to sit and right in a notebook.

Jul 08, 2009

Kimberly Lyn said...

I don't think the net erodes my book time. Mks me appreciate bks even more b/c I can unplug & escape w/in my imagination.

Jul 08, 2009

David Feldt said...

Steve - I had gone through the same experience that you describe. It's 1:13am and I'm "on" instead of being disconnected from my browser/iPhone/netbook. I have 12 amazing books piled up next to my desk that I have not started to read - all of these books have been purchased in the past 3 months. I grew up reading books and have read for my entire adult life. I think I've lost something precious - my ability to disconnect and focus on a good book (paper, not a Kindle) - I'm still a voracious reader (blogs, sites, twitter, Tumblr, etc) but the depth of knowledge I'm gaining is now significantly diminished. The constant distractions, "continuous partial attention" and interruptions have made me less effective and I believe that I'm ultimately worse off due to lack of "disconnect" time to focus on reading a good book.

Jul 09, 2009

Johannes Rummelhoff said...

I totally agree on this Steve. I have always been reading lots of books but now I spend all my reading time online. I'm reading work related stuff online, watch speeches by interesting people and is updated on the latest trends in my field. I think that I get the same knowledge from reading online as I'm getting from reading books. The thing I miss about reading books is the old masters like Dostojevskij, Hesse and Hamsun. But the solution for that is just to put away the mac and read.

I think that the shift from books to online is a media shift and a different way of getting your knowledge.

But I still love the good old books.

Jul 09, 2009

George Gearhart said...

Books have been dead for many years. Faithful readers just haven't realized it yet.

Jul 09, 2009

Jennifer Green said...

Last week I had my own self-imposed media black out. Which all began the afternoon that Twitter smoked with the death, coma, death and coma of Michael Jackson. Oh, and the "reported" death of Jeff Goldblum. I have an ear pretty close to popular culture so I really new all I needed to know about MJ. And the Goldblum thing really annoyed me. So I logged out and turned the TV off and the iPod up. What I expected to happen did. I spent more time writing. More time looking over the books that I've started in the last 3 to 6 months. I think there are about 12 in my pile as well. I also purged a few files, drawers and cabinets. The first few hours seemed odd. What was I missing! And I realized, NOTHING. I started posting here and reading Posterous posts. I am currently looking for my next career move so I have lot's of time. But what was I getting by being plugged in almost 24/7? More experience for my next job. No. I was sitting here in one place watching waiting for someone to say something interesting. I don't need to be the first to say it or know it. I need to continue my education and read the whole, entire story. Not the headline or sound bit that is on that thing they call "news". So whether it be book, magazine or online article. I need hear the whole story. And I always carry a book with me so as not to forget the value.

Jul 09, 2009

Norbert Mayer-Wittmann said...

Books are history. :)

But back to the "live" world - are business + computer titles NOT nonfiction?

;D nmw

Jul 09, 2009

Jordi Soler said...

It certainly has affected my reading habits. Too much interesting content to ignore, and not so many great books to read in "the bestseller era".

Jul 09, 2009

Sean Brady said...

I am reading three books right now, and listening to another via Audible. Between Audible and the Kindle I read more now that I have in the past. I am online a lot, and I am sure that I am online more now than I was 3 years ago. I think my TV time is what has diminished. The Kindle is more interesting than the TV. Although the TV I do have is also Internet time. :)

Jul 09, 2009

Dan Thornton said...

I've been an avid reader since first learning how, and spent most of this week moving print books around the house to create some more space.
I definitely read less printed material than ever before, and spend more time reading online content - one reason is that magazines/newspapers have been so completely replaced by online media that there's is little value in paying for their content.
When it comes to books, I do still buy and read them, although at a far slower pace than before, and generally they're either biographies of people I admire, or more often, related to technology and marketing simply to give me a different way to read the content of people I generally follow online.

Jul 09, 2009

Dennis Poulette said...

I definitely don't read as many books as I used to. I spend lots of my available time on the internet, which means I have had to push some other things away. Books are one of them. I'm reading still, but it's in the format of blogs and online content.

Jul 09, 2009

Nara Franco said...

With the internet and the amount of information avalaible, I think it's impossible to read as many books as we read in the past. But, books are still a rich source of information and pleasure. They'll be always around because it's not a good idea to be 100% online. There's life out there!

Jul 09, 2009

Jeremey Weeks said...

Books are an escape for me. My working time is spent in front of a screen. Too many priorities come up when I'm plugged in for me to immerse myself in reading. I make time away from the keyboard, it's definitely a priority.

--Jeremey

Jul 09, 2009

Jay Parkhill said...

Great comments here. I have been training myself not to turn on the Internet in a moment of downtime, but to decide whether I want to actively read a book or browse online. Both good activities- just not to the complete exclusion of one another.

Jul 09, 2009

Kevin Arth said...

Very good point. There's room for both.

Jul 09, 2009

juniorbonner said...

The net has not eroded my time for reading books but it has eroded my minds ability to read books. I have found that my cognitive ability to focus on book reading for anymore than 20 mins at a time has greatly reduced.

Jul 09, 2009

Joan Vinall-Cox said...

After years of acclimatising my eyes to reading on a screen (being able to find my spot after scrolling etc.) I find brief bursts of screen reading followed by adding input more comfortable that extended focussed (book) reading. In fact, if I'm reading a book near my computer, I find myself with my hands on the keyboard BEFORE I consciously decide to switch media. So yes, the web is eroding my book reading.

Jul 09, 2009

Mitchell York said...

Hi Steve, hope you're having a good flight! Spending more time online, I definitely read fewer books and watch less TV. I think social media has shortened my attention span for books, which I am not happy about. Today I discovered Filtrbox, suggested by my good friend Bruce Judson, and that has been an interesting use of an hour or two, so far.

Jul 09, 2009

george tuvell said...

Steve - I have the same issue....my book reading has slowed to a crawl due to the always available web. I think we're all ahead to force ourselves to unplug from time to time.

Jul 09, 2009

Devin Reams said...

Internet has definitely has eroded my reading time. I combat it by reading Kindle first thing every AM like @photomatt.

Jul 09, 2009

Luca Belletti said...

I used to read a lot but hardly any books over the last five years or so, when reading on the web shot up.

A few months ago I joined a book club with friends and now I get through a book every 6 weeks or so, very pleased with that. And, to keep with my uncluttering/simplifying/reusing ethos, I now get the books out of a library (for the first time since I finished school!).

Jul 10, 2009