All the things we typically go to books for—addictive drama, startling beauty, sharp social and cultural criticism, or compulsive entertainment—can be found on streaming services. So why read books in 2021?
Reading is dying. Or maybe reading is already dead. I’m an English teacher, which means my life revolves around books. What am I doing?
This is already a little hyperbolic, so let me rephrase: obviously, reading isn’t “dead.” Lots of people still read for fun. According to Pew Research data from five years ago, the average American reads about four books a year, which isn’t terrible. And only 27% of Americans don’t read at all. Assuming this data is true—and the people surveyed aren’t lying because they feel guilt-tripped or embarrassed—this feels like a win.
What’s dying, maybe, are the conditions needed for reading. I’m never more than three feet away from a phone or a computer. These things are almost by definition more engaging than books. Which is not to say they’re better than books. Or more satisfying than books. But they are faster than books, and brains like when things go fast. There was a time in my life when I could sit in a chair for a full hour and do nothing but read. I literally cannot do that anymore. My phone and computer won’t allow it. My brain won’t allow it.
Obviously, books are not the only storytelling medium. The real money is in TV, so it’s actually streaming services that can afford to hire the greatest writers and artists of our generation. Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+ have poured billions of dollars into producing incredible stories. (A lot of trash, too, but plenty of masterpieces.) In other words, all the things we typically go to books for—addictive drama, startling beauty, sharp social and cultural criticism, or compulsive entertainment—can be found on streaming services. So why read books in 2021? There’s an argument to be made that shows are just as good as books but, like, easier.
There are plenty of unconvincing arguments in favor of reading. 1) “There are a lot of incredible stories that can only be found in books.” Rebuttal: If there’s a popular book, there’s a 90% chance some streaming service will swoop in and turn it into a TV series. They have more money than they know what to do with, and they’re desperately in need of content. 2) “The book is better than the movie.” Rebuttal: I mean, not always. TV has gotten so good in recent years that it’s often artistically superior to books. 3) “Something about improving SAT scores.” Rebuttal: Ugh.
For me, the argument in favor of books comes down to “head space.” This probably sounds foofy and annoying, but for me, it’s very real. Here’s the truth: You can’t multitask when you read. You can only focus on one thing, which is whatever you’re reading. This is a pretty rare and strange experience in 2021: doing one thing. It makes me impatient. It makes me fidget. But once I manage to ease into a reading head space, my brain feels a little cleaner and clearer. I can do more with it. I feel less like a rat on a wheel.
Books also give you the space to stop and think about what you’re reading. Streaming services don’t do that—they’re actually designed to do the opposite. They never stop, even when you finish an episode. You have five seconds to decide whether or not you want to keep watching, and usually, the next episode has started before you can get around to making that decision. Without breathing room to think, even the best and most artistically crafted HBO Max show becomes mindless entertainment. People rarely think too hard about whatever they’re watching, but that’s not their fault. It’s the fault of the medium itself, which keeps on playing whether you like it or not.
(Incidentally, this is also true of audiobooks, which probably have more in common with streaming services than with books themselves. Audiobooks may be books, but listening to audiobooks isn’t really “reading”—it’s a different head space.)
It’s totally possible that books get phased out of existence over the next fifty years. Entertainment has just gotten too...entertaining. It moves too fast. Books literally can’t keep up. It’s an inherently slower medium, ill-suited to 21st century ADHD brains. Of course, schools and curmudgeonly English teachers like Mr. Ejzak will continue to beat the drum for books long after they’ve died—but no one’s ever really believed what school preaches to them, and schools tend to operate about fifty years behind the times as a general rule.
I don’t mean to sound too pessimistic. People will always make incredible art, and plenty of incredible shows have already taken the place of books. But that doesn’t mean that nothing has been lost. What’s lost is the freedom to control your own brain. In a world where everything is monetized—and every corporation from Hulu to Tik Tok to Amazon is trying to hijack your attention and retire off the profits—books give us the freedom to think independently at our own pace. To stop and reflect without being exploited. To focus on just one thing. To sit for a while in the stillness of our own thoughts.
This is already a little hyperbolic, so let me rephrase: obviously, reading isn’t “dead.” Lots of people still read for fun. According to Pew Research data from five years ago, the average American reads about four books a year, which isn’t terrible. And only 27% of Americans don’t read at all. Assuming this data is true—and the people surveyed aren’t lying because they feel guilt-tripped or embarrassed—this feels like a win.
What’s dying, maybe, are the conditions needed for reading. I’m never more than three feet away from a phone or a computer. These things are almost by definition more engaging than books. Which is not to say they’re better than books. Or more satisfying than books. But they are faster than books, and brains like when things go fast. There was a time in my life when I could sit in a chair for a full hour and do nothing but read. I literally cannot do that anymore. My phone and computer won’t allow it. My brain won’t allow it.
Obviously, books are not the only storytelling medium. The real money is in TV, so it’s actually streaming services that can afford to hire the greatest writers and artists of our generation. Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+ have poured billions of dollars into producing incredible stories. (A lot of trash, too, but plenty of masterpieces.) In other words, all the things we typically go to books for—addictive drama, startling beauty, sharp social and cultural criticism, or compulsive entertainment—can be found on streaming services. So why read books in 2021? There’s an argument to be made that shows are just as good as books but, like, easier.
There are plenty of unconvincing arguments in favor of reading. 1) “There are a lot of incredible stories that can only be found in books.” Rebuttal: If there’s a popular book, there’s a 90% chance some streaming service will swoop in and turn it into a TV series. They have more money than they know what to do with, and they’re desperately in need of content. 2) “The book is better than the movie.” Rebuttal: I mean, not always. TV has gotten so good in recent years that it’s often artistically superior to books. 3) “Something about improving SAT scores.” Rebuttal: Ugh.
For me, the argument in favor of books comes down to “head space.” This probably sounds foofy and annoying, but for me, it’s very real. Here’s the truth: You can’t multitask when you read. You can only focus on one thing, which is whatever you’re reading. This is a pretty rare and strange experience in 2021: doing one thing. It makes me impatient. It makes me fidget. But once I manage to ease into a reading head space, my brain feels a little cleaner and clearer. I can do more with it. I feel less like a rat on a wheel.
Books also give you the space to stop and think about what you’re reading. Streaming services don’t do that—they’re actually designed to do the opposite. They never stop, even when you finish an episode. You have five seconds to decide whether or not you want to keep watching, and usually, the next episode has started before you can get around to making that decision. Without breathing room to think, even the best and most artistically crafted HBO Max show becomes mindless entertainment. People rarely think too hard about whatever they’re watching, but that’s not their fault. It’s the fault of the medium itself, which keeps on playing whether you like it or not.
(Incidentally, this is also true of audiobooks, which probably have more in common with streaming services than with books themselves. Audiobooks may be books, but listening to audiobooks isn’t really “reading”—it’s a different head space.)
It’s totally possible that books get phased out of existence over the next fifty years. Entertainment has just gotten too...entertaining. It moves too fast. Books literally can’t keep up. It’s an inherently slower medium, ill-suited to 21st century ADHD brains. Of course, schools and curmudgeonly English teachers like Mr. Ejzak will continue to beat the drum for books long after they’ve died—but no one’s ever really believed what school preaches to them, and schools tend to operate about fifty years behind the times as a general rule.
I don’t mean to sound too pessimistic. People will always make incredible art, and plenty of incredible shows have already taken the place of books. But that doesn’t mean that nothing has been lost. What’s lost is the freedom to control your own brain. In a world where everything is monetized—and every corporation from Hulu to Tik Tok to Amazon is trying to hijack your attention and retire off the profits—books give us the freedom to think independently at our own pace. To stop and reflect without being exploited. To focus on just one thing. To sit for a while in the stillness of our own thoughts.
...books give us the freedom to think independently at our own pace. To stop and reflect without being exploited. To focus on just one thing. To sit for a while in the stillness of our own thoughts.
