James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
Do you find sitting down to read a book for a prolonged length of time difficult? Do you read a few pages but find your mind wandering? Do you find yourself reading a paragraph then realising that you have not taken any of it in at all? If so then you’re not alone. In a recent article for The Times, writer Nicholas Carr highlights the dangers of long-term Internet usage on the mind. He states that the way in which we read an Internet page is different to how we read a book, skipping around the page scanning for relevant information rather than from left to right. This selective ‘pick and choose’ method of obtaining information has improved our multi-tasking and decision making skills, but is slowly destroying our ability to concentrate and engage with a text for any meaningful length of time. The average amount of time a person spends on a webpage is between 19 and 27 seconds, even now you could be tiring of this article and clicking back to Facebook.
The decreasing capacity to concentrate is a gradual process, and one that usually goes unnoticed. Before the Internet was made available to me at 12 years old, I would devour several books a week, often sitting for a whole day lost in the wonders of a story. Nowadays, I find it hard to read for a long time, preferring to read in short bursts, sometimes feeling a sense of grudging duty as I turn off my laptop to continue my latest course book. Of course I will sometimes get dragged into a plot, feeling completely immersed in the storyline, but these occasions are becoming rarer and rarer. As a student of English Literature, this is undoubtedly worrying, and yet it is harder and harder to escape from the Internet’s lure.
As the Internet becomes more prolific, it is easy to extol its virtues. One could argue that the Internet is in fact increasing our intelligence as so much information is available for us to use and learn that we would never have found so quickly if looking in a book. This is true but the way in which we process this information is much more crucial to intelligence. If we cannot concentrate on any of the information which the Internet can provide us with, and only skim the surface of the words in a book when reading, we cannot say we are anymore intelligent because of the Internet. While it is unlikely that the Internet will get rid of physical books completely, it has certainly changed the way in which we read.
"...at 12 years old, I would devour several books a week, often sitting for a whole day lost in the wonders of a story. Nowadays, I find it hard to read for a long time..."
Maybe at 12 years of age you had seen a little less of life and so were more easily captivated by stories. You probably didn't have that nagging voice of common sense in the back of your mind saying 'this is so stupidly unrealistic I can't believe I'm reading it'.
Also, I don't think the internet has much to do with your shortened reading span - given your course, you probably view reading now as more obligation than leisure activity.
#1, I totally disagree. I find myself struggling to read a lot more than I used to - and it's not about content. My eyes aren't used to reading left-to-right anymore, so it feels like I require twice as much concentration than I used to.
Lizzy, thanks for writing this - you've reassured me that my issues are normal! I think slowly but surely I can retrain my eyes - reading some fun fiction over summer has helped that.
Absolutely concur. =\
What's terrifying me the most's the fact that years of nigh-on constant net use have stripped me of the ability to concentrate on absolutely *anything* for any period of time- it takes me ten times longer to read a text than it used to, easily.
I do wish there was some quick fix.
I sometimes think this - but then when I find a really good book, I can still finish it in a day 
I think the internet has just given us more options to be entertained, the best books will still win through, they just need to grip you from the start and you won't put it down. Think how much computer games have come on, everyone seems to have an xbxo these days, it's the variety of options that are increasingly getting better
i do enjoy your articles lizzy. i think the variety of available activities on the internet (checking facebook/email, playing games, ficking between 2 or 3 news articles) makes it impossible to focus on one thing. the internet is never used for relaxation; only taking in information deemed important and entertaining for a short space of time. i agree that reading a book seems cut off, slow and a waste of time compared to internet multi tasking
"the internet is never used for relaxation"
I happen to find The Yorker very relaxing - it soothes my shattered nerves more than any bubble bath could.
haha point taken
You must log in to submit a comment.
Report