For nearly 5,000 years, humans have been consuming knowledge through books. However, as the internet slowly started to become more and more prominent, people began to read less and less.
Many people nowadays would much rather spend their time online than reading an actual book. This is mainly because of all of the newness related to phones and technology.
“I think technology has affected people’s attention span, and books need to stay alive,” Ashleigh Feld said.
People are instinctively attracted to new things. So when technology became increasingly popular, people were more invested in that than they were in books.
Books are considered to be old and outdated, while phones and tablets are constantly changing and updating. People tend to forget just how important books are and the role they play in history.
Reading is essential, especially for children. It can not only teach children about the world around them but is also proven to help increase memory.
Reading also enhances the imagination and creativity in both children and adults. Reading provides kids with a way to learn and improve vocabulary and reading comprehension. Books have the power to teach people new things and inform people of what the world was like thousands of years ago.
As early as the year 3,000 BC, the Sumerians were using slabs of clay to write on, based on an article on Study.com. These ancient artifacts are what led to the creation of books.
Over the years, books have been used to tell stories of the past and present, but are also used to express creativity. Books can be both historical and informational, as well as fictional. Both fictional and informational books are vital today.
Fictional novels allow kids to dive deeper into stories and keep them intrigued. They provide a sense of imagination and relief. It lets kids picture the lives of the characters within literature and lets them access their imagination. Fictional novels are used as a tool to help kids grow and stay in touch with their creative side, as well as just being fun to read.
“Reading is very important to me,” Feld said. “I do it every day, and it is something that helps me escape when I am feeling stressed out.”
Informational novels allow scientists and historians to better understand what the world was like thousands of years ago. They allow access to old languages and how they have developed and changed over time.
They also give readers context as to what the world used to be like. These books not only give us insight into the past but also help us to better understand the modern world we live in today.
While books are so very important, technology has begun to take over and replace the world of books. Ever since the first computer was invented, the buying of books has decreased rapidly.
This decrease has only gotten worse as technology has developed into things like phones, iPads, and laptops. People have become more interested and invested in phones and technology in general than ever before.
“The last time I read was maybe in the third grade, I honestly don’t even remember,” Bryce Fuller said.
If the decrease continues, and people keep turning an eye to books, the future for books does not look good.
Bookstores and libraries will begin to lose customers, and everything will turn to online. Books are such an important part of history and a crucial aspect of learning, the decrease needs to stop. Books need to start being more recognized and not taken for granted.
“I don’t care for books. It can be helpful, but not that important,” Fuller said.
