/lit/ - Literature

It is not a lack of intelligence, it is in 99% of the cases a lack of attention span

>>11583836
Reading has never been a very common thing to do for humans, even the rich folks who could afford it barely did it. I think people do lack interest, not necessarily attention.
There are simply a lot more positively stimulating things to do rather than reading.

I think the attention span of young people is really getting fucked, idk if it's the most important reason why no one is reading

>>11583875
Reading is rewarding, just not in the short-term. You rarely experience catharsis in books, many times only in the end. Do young people really have the attention span to read for 10 hours until they can get stimulation? Doubtful

Not to say the only reason to read is for catharsis, but its seemingly one of the main reasons for media and entertainment nowadays

>>11583862

This.

When I was growing up, I'd spend a few hours with books almost every day. My family didn't have a great internet connection, and I didn't have the best computer. As technology picked up and we switched from dial-up to broadband, I got into MMORPGs and gaming.

Not long after I started university, I bought a smartphone and laptop. It's so ridiculously easy to switch from one entertainment to another--whether news articles, YouTube videos or WhatsApp chats. Rapid-fire communications and an abundance of options took a toll on my attention span.

For a few years, I rarely picked up books. Whenever I did, I'd find myself just as engrossed as I'd been as a kid. But for a very long time, I had a hard time powering down my electronics and picking up books.

I think I'm starting to slide back into literature, but I still struggle to start reading. There are just too many distractions.

>>11583929
Nicholas Carr talks about how reading a book like Moby Dick is like filling a bath tub drip by drip.
In comparison, the internet is holding a thimble under a raging faucet.

>>11583959
good bucc

I remember this being one of the first dozen or so books I read when I got into reading and it was immediately obvious to me that any time I was struggling or others spoke of their own struggling with getting into reading we were all getting at some mental capacity exercised in sitting down and focusing on a SINGLE THING for a period of time we simply had no strength in. It's wanting to be chiseled like a god but getting frustrated with having to start with low weight in the gym. Impatience. This is why many find it hard to get into meditation too. It's exercising the same thing.

>>11583836
It is overrated. People are generally too undisciplined to do much of anything long enough to get results. The more immediate the satisfaction, the more people will enjoy it, regardless of any option's pay-off.

>>11583836
Most have the capacity, but choose easier entertainment, such as videos and podcasts, because it is generally available everywhere and requires no real concentrated effort.

>>11583944
This is the sense that electronics have ruined most things in life. Just watch a couple hour movie instead of reading a book. At least audiobooks allow a form of compromise.

>>11585332
They are great if you work in a place that allows headphones.