reading (then vs now)
i was sitting in a marketing class the other day when my professor started going around the room, asking everyone what their hobbies are in order for him to get to know us a little better.
you know, your typical icebreaker shit at a university.
okay follow along…
the few people who were sitting in front of me listed off their interests and hobbies … “watching netflix, watching hulu, skiing, etc etc etc.”
the rotation got to me and i started to list my hobbies in a way that only a true nerd would understand … “podcasting, growth hacking, the outdoors, reading.”
the professor stopped me at reading and asked what i read. i said “well, all kinds of stuff. every morning, i read my email newsletters, tech news from my favorite outlets, and my medium debrief from the day prior.”
i could feel everyone’s eyes melting my spine at this point.
he scoffed and chuckled … “oh, you mean that kind of reading. i thought you meant books.” was he disappointed that i choose to get my information online?
*gasp* 🤯
this brings me to my point.
everyone knows that reading has changed format in the past few years with the advent of the internet.
videos, tl;drs, newsletters, social media, and audio clips have transformed the way we take in knowledge and information. yet, for some reason, our society believes that physical books are still the crown jewel.
why is this? what’s the advantage of physical books?
i can tell you for certainty that i can find an exponential amount of information online in a fraction of the time i would in a book.
don’t get me wrong. i still read books and have no problem with people using them as a source of information or entertainment.
but it’s time society stops demanding that we read books as our only source of information. instead, put an inexpensive chromebook in our hands and let us find entertainment or educational stuff on the internet. we will learn far more than we would in a book.
sure, we might not be using our imagination as much in the moment, but with what information we gather, we’ll be more creative, more intelligent, and more engaged with what we create in the future.
so, i challenge you. you’re already reading this so you may as well stay on the internet to learn more. google “[hobby or interest] newsletter” and subscribe to the first handful that show up. you’ll get a nice package of knowledge about that topic everyday or every wednesday or every month in your inbox. so convenient … and FREE.
if you don’t learn way more about your hobby in the first month than you have in the past year, then i led you astray. have fun learning!
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