Visit Other Web Forums
Reading in the 21st-Century
by C. Ikehara
| NOTICE: Essays and comments
posted on World Future Society Web Forums are the intellectual property of the authors,
who retain full responsibility for and rights to their content. For permission to publish,
distribute copies, use excerpts, etc., please contact the author. |
Summary: As modes of communication shift from reading text to
other forms (e.g., visual images), will any efficiency gained from that transition be
offset by the loss of something which will be beyond recovery? Will there be a break in
the continuity from the past which may turn out to be not only undesirable, but also
irreversible? If the role of reading in the future diminishes, will that have any adverse
effect on how we perceive ourselves, our world, and our future? Will it affect (or even
impair) our thought processes and how we learn? And what about relationships with our
leaders? Are we headed towards a 'Brave New World' where the masses will not only be
discouraged from reading, but encouraged to depend on leaders to do their thinking for
them?
hen I saw
the cover story of the September-October issue of THE FUTURIST magazine, "Are Books
Doomed?", it seemed like just another reminder that the world is not only changing,
but changing--fast.
I don't want to sound like somebody's Grandpa, but back when I was a student in what
seems more and more like the mistier than misty days of JURASSIC PARK--THE PREQUEL, books
were simply more sacred than sacred and reading them was something that you just could
never overdo. Please believe me.
But as our new century proceeds and the technology of television becomes even more
ubiquitous and universal, will there someday soon be a heated debate about the future of
reading--even in countries which have ancient literary traditions?
Japan has one of the highest literacy rates in the world--a source of tremendous
national pride since the Japanese language has close to 2,000 different letters that must
be memorized. The next time you see a Japanese reading the NEW YORK TIMES, just keep in
mind that it is a small accomplishment compared to an American being able to read the
ASAHI NEWSPAPER.
But a few years ago, the NEW YORK TIMES published an article where a Japanese professor
of literature and prominent book critic was quoted as saying, "In Japan, literature
is no longer mainstream culture." This is especially ironic since the Japanese word
for 'civilization' is 'bummei' which literally means "enlightenment through the
written word." In addition, the world's oldest novel "The Tale of Genji"
was written a millenium ago in Kyoto.
So is everyone now busy reading comic books? Comic books do exist in Japan (they are
called 'manga') and have been tremendously popular. But according to the NEW YORK TIMES
article, unbelievably, even 'manga' are going into decline.
But then what is replacing them?
Once upon a time, one could look into a Japanese train and expect to see people doing
one of two things: either sleeping or reading. But today, one sees commuters preoccupied
with portable electronic games, digital assistants, and cell phones which enable them to
send e-mail and surf the Net.
The author of the NEW YORK TIMES article speculates as to whether this situation will
remain unique to Japan or should be perceived as a sign of change that will also occur
elsewhere. In the future, should we be surprised if the ground floors of our public
libraries are converted into gigantic arcades a-buzzin' and a-blinkin' away?
The article also includes the observation of a Japanese publishing industry expert:
"The way to success in this business is in writing easy-to-read books, with short
sentences, lots of slang and easy plots." Does this mean that 'writers' will someday
be spending all their time churning out gossipy articles about the latest young rising
movie star or pop singer? Or will they be putting in a lot of overtime 'writing' the
captions of oversized color photos of beauty pageant winners? Could articles ever be
'easy' enough, or will visuals eventually 'triumph' over text? Will 'readers' begin
thinking that they exist only to be entertained and start thinking that something must be
horribly wrong if they find themselves getting bored--for even half-a-second?
Once upon a time, wasn't reading supposed to promote critical thinking--not only
teaching the necessity of discerning the true from the false, sorting fact from fiction,
and recognizing the possible from the impossible, but also preparing us for tough moral
choices that had to do with making a clear distinction between right and wrong,
differentiating the innocent from the guilty, and ultimately recognizing good from evil?
And whatever happened to cultural continuity? Electronic diversions may be great for
economic good times, but don't traditions provide us with the values and inner strength
necessary to persevere and cope with the bad times? Wasn't serious reading thought to be a
tradition of traditions since the lessons learned from the literary masterpieces of the
past served as a bridge between the generations? Didn't the wisdom gained from the study
and discussion of the classics encourage us to contemplate complex philosophical questions
pertaining to the way of human nature, the way of the world, not to mention the meaning of
life?
Isn't anyone who is not doing all they can to preserve traditions in effect hastening
their demise? Has the unbridled spread of commercialism and technology transformed us from
small groups of active amateur participants to a large single mass of professional passive
spectators and non-stop consumers? Will future generations no longer concern themselves
with such issues because their ability to read and think critically (or even clearly) will
be long gone?
About the Author:
C. Ikehara is semi-retired and lives in the West. E-mail: futurist2003@hotmail.com
Go to top of page
All contents copyright © World Future Society, 2003.
7910 Woodmont Ave, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814
All rights reserved.
