Whatโs a book that completely surprised you?
The text discusses the evolving nature of reading in a digital era, highlighting how the experience of browsing a bookstore contrasts with the convenience of digital access. It notes that while information is readily available online, this shift brings complications such as authenticity crises and self-promotion among “voracious readers.” The author argues that reading is often treated as a hobby rather than a habit that fosters knowledge. They emphasise the intrinsic value of books, which serve as beacons of enlightenment, and discuss the impact of digital formats on traditional reading practices. Ultimately, the joy of reading remains a subjective experience.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The article explores the changing nature of reading in a digital age, contrasting the bookstore experience with online access.
- Digital access complicates reading due to authenticity issues and self-promotion among readers, leading to a focus on image over substance.
- Reading is framed as a habit rather than a hobby; it should foster knowledge rather than just serve as entertainment.
- In the fast-paced world, immersive reading is declining, diminishing the value of physical books and emphasizing the rise of digital formats.
- Books, despite their format, remain vital as beacons of knowledge and companionship for humanity.
Books and bookstore
The ambience in the famous bookstore of the town was quiet. Racks with stacks of books were seen everywhere. People were silently roaming and scanning the books. A few stools dotted the aisles of bookshelves. Some of the visitors were going through books sitting on the stools, holding a few books in their hands and flipping through one placing it onto the stacks they held in their hands.
Mixed bag feeling
Things were enjoyable, but some, especially abstract ones, produced a mixed bag feeling of happiness and anguish. It sounds paradoxical, but the exact feeling is difficult to put into words. Reading is among them which is now more of a style statement than a serious thing.
Digital age
In the current digital age, there are a lot of things available for reading, viewing and watching without much fuss. The contents are easily accessible on devices like smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, or desktop computers. This has widely affected people’s access to information. They don’t have to go through the tedious search for relevant materials in libraries, bookstalls, bookstores or reading rooms. Information retrieval and transfer have become fast and easy. Public perception about things and happenings has changed for good.
New complications
While digitalisation has revolutionised information consumption, many new complications have erupted. Authenticity and identity crises along with false boasting, are spreading fast.
Self-absorbed attitude
While reading stuff circulating in the digital world, especially on the “Social Media” platform, a sense of unease can be felt when going through the content. Written in first person, people appear self-absorbed. Their focus is apparently not on the books and content but on the glamour side of their personality. They appear to boast about their personal qualities, exaggerating their reading capabilities, posing themselves as “voracious” readers and “Prolific” writers. Such individuals are seen frequently and eloquently trying to glamorise themselves by flaunting their presence in bookstores, book festivals or book exhibitions. Writing is not merely a self-absorbing account, it is way farther than this.
Habit not hobby
Reading books is one such activity that has received much hype. Reading in general and book reading in particular is a good habit, but it is not a hobby. When good things are caged, especially activities in words, they stale. Using a noun for reading as a “hobby”, labels it as a pastime recreation which gives enjoyment and amusement, but seldom enhances knowledge or gives a lesson. It is like watching a film which pays its cost back to the viewers by its entertainment quotient.
Different reading types
Reading therefore, can be of different kinds. The type generally in practice is cursory, done for enjoyment. It is why people are seen boasting about their “Reading Skill” and their ability to read fast. A few even coach about reading “technique” and capitalising on the growing desire for artificial show-offs, making money.
Books: status symbol
The increasing “hobby” of reading leads to light reading and certain lifestyle changes. Casual conversation among people in a bookstall gives a glimpse of it. Holding about five or six books, one person in the scenario described above was saying to his companion that he had read several books by a particular author. On the same token, visiting the house of a neo-rich middle-class person, a common thing that is seen is a few shining hard-bound editions of coffee table books placed in a meticulously arranged casual look. The loud show of fake identity made books a thing of exhibition.
Books as a style statement
Making books a style statement is gaining ground. People flaunt books as a symbol of their intellectual identity. They seldom read the content of the book and give a casual look to it, per chance they read them. It is why such “voracious readers” find it difficult to talk about the book they say they have read it several times!
Books are vibrant
Books are not merely a collection of words arranged meticulously in paragraphs and chapters. They are the collection of ideas, experiences, philosophical discourses and reflective narrations. Vibrant with rhythmic pulsations books converse with their readers and lead to enlightenment from the darkness of ignorance. (healthline)
Beyond the physical form
In its physical form, a book is a bound edition of printed pages, but what makes it valuable is the contents they have. The mind behind a book is everything which conveys an idea or story to its readers.
Books are pious
Books are considered pious. Children were taught to respect and keep them with utmost care. They represented goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning and knowledge (Gyฤn). Any idea that gives insightful information and is useful for humanity is good and pious. Besides imparting knowledge, books take our children to wonderland, make them happy and give them reason to squeal and giggle with happiness.
Fast paced world
In the fast-paced world, the romanticism of immersive reading a book is fast waning. Sitting in a secluded environment, lost in the world of books is gradually becoming a thing of the past. The peaceful companionship of a bound book, the feel of its pages and the unique aroma of printed words would take its reader to another world. Serious topics apart, books deal with other fields of knowledge and information. The frequent topics are about money, well-being, health and psychological issues.
The digital world replaced printed words
The excessive use of paper and its wastage puts pressure on plants and trees. To supply raw material to paper mills, a large number of trees are mowed down. The paper industry has a large water and carbon footprint that contributes significantly to the serious impairment of green cover. The digital world came as a great respite. The physical books, periodicals, newspapers, and magazines have appeared in a new avatar. It is the e-world or electronic world.
Revolutionised information technology
The time is when people have an easy and effective way to access information electronically. Instead of having physical newspapers, magazines, or even books, one can get them easily on their digital device in electronic form. Magazines have become e-magazines, and books are available in PDF (Portable Document Format) form, which is easy to carry on a device; the most common is a smartphone. Keeping the mobility issue in mind, the size and bulk of computers have shrunk to wafer-thin thickness, carrying lighter weights. Tablets are filling the gap between a laptop and a smartphone.
Books are beacon
The joy of reading and feeling the thrill is never-ending. Since the dawn of civilisation, human beings have searched for long-lasting companionship. This void was filled with written or printed words. It was made possible by the invention of languages and their grammar. Books have ever since been the best companions of human beings. It is not necessary to have a perfect ideology. One may or may not concur with the idea or story a book tries to convey, but it can disseminate it far and wide, for sure. Books are a beacon; they would remain relevant forever.
Enjoying reading books in any form is a good passion. Reading them in a book reader, tablet, or smartphone is a personal choice and depends on the convenience of the reader. Some like thrill, some prefer romanticism, while some want pure factual information, not fiction. In any form, a book fascinates and surprises its readers. Some become amused by its facts, while others get impressed by the style of storytelling. After all, it is a subjective choice.
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Kamal Kishore Srivastava
A retired government officer turned writer and photographer, Kamal Kishore Srivastava is a regular blogger and essayist who explores lifeโs deeper meanings through immersive reflections on nature, impermanence, and happiness. On his blog Natureโs Narrative, he blends philosophical storytelling with practical insights. Writing 1,200โ1,500 words or more regularly, Kamal is committed to refining his craft, expanding his audience, and building a sustainable space where thought and feeling intersect.
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