How this generation’s pursuit of information has evolved with and beyond the paper copy

Midway through a semester of the COVID-19 version of college, some students may be searching for a way to take a break from their assigned course work. There are the usual time fillers we get within loving emails from our very own Dean Bigger, among them to “play tennis or volleyball in the Village” or to “watch the sunrise or sunset from the lawn in front of Main Building with your friends” and to “play frisbee or a game of catch in one of the many greenspaces around campus.”

Along with these suggestions to keep our student population entertained while also physically distanced, reading outside of our assigned coursework could be added to the list.

But that begs the question…do we even still read for fun? When polling students and asking, “What are your thoughts on reading for fun during the school year?” options included, “I love to read for fun, but never during the semester” as well as the more honest, “The idea of reading ends up being more exhausting, and I usually just end up watching TV or a movie instead.”

Does this mean we don’t read? That we don’t stay informed? Are our parents right that technology has permanently lowered our standards beyond the ever classic pastime of reading a good book?

Let’s change that narrative, actually, because the statistics might surprise you.

If anything, we have gotten more inventive on how to stay informed and how to keep our minds active despite the move towards more tech-savvy avenues of entertainment.

In a study done by Pew Research Center, it’s stated that, “people under 30—those who use Internet-connected technologies the most—[are] also more likely than older adults to say that there is ‘a lot of useful, important information that is not available on the internet’…In other words, the demographic that gets criticized for relying on the Internet most was also the most likely to acknowledge its limitations.”

Let’s continue to look at how we’ve gone a step further and engineered new ways to access both creative and practical information.

Gen Z and millennials are tuning into podcasts regularly, with over a third (37%) of 13-37 year olds saying they listen weekly or more.

All of this says that, while the Information Age has resonated with students and allowed us to pursue

more tech savvy avenues of news and education, reading is still very much a contender for our choice entertainment.

To keep up our good statistics on reading and staying informed:

Put that student Amazon prime account to good use and pick out a book to read over your holiday break!

Glance through one of your many (likely crumpled by now) syllabi and see if one of those or a related book could peak your interest in your own field of study!

Visit Hub City Books in downtown Spartanburg for a chance to support local businesses!

Move beyond your ODI training provided by Wofford and consider supporting some contemporary Black authors at the link below!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/books-by-contemporary-black-authors/