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How Social Media Has Affected Me As a Reader

Posted by on Aug 17, 2010 in Personal, Social Media | 6 comments

stack-of-books(2)

It may be a bit melodramatic to say social media has ruined me as a reader, but it sure has affected me.

For one thing, I find I have less patience to sit and read a text of any length.  I’ve become accustomed to 140 characters – or 440 if I’m on Facebook – or a brief, one scroll of the sidebar, blog post. 

Ideas are immediate in social media, they don’t develop and unfold like in fiction.  I find that when I’m reading, I keep thinking to myself, “Get to the point already!”  “Can’t you tell this story in bullets?,” I wonder.

I’ve become undisciplined as a reader of fiction.  I’ve let those muscles go lax.

On a positive note, it is nice to get online and gather book recommendations, or read authors discuss their work.  The reading – if I can wade through it – becomes more interactive that way, more layered.

But it’s hard to traverse the seemingly opposite sides of my brain that relate to social media and reading.  It’s like trying to verbalize details of a dream – researchers say it’s nearly impossible to do because dream and speech occupy two totally different regions of cognitive function.  For me, it’s the same with my online world and my cover-to-cover world.

What about you?  Do you find that your involvement in social media has – either positively or negatively – affected you as a reader?

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

  1. Top Ten Tuesday: Embracing What I Am, What I’m Not (in Terms of Social Media)
  2. Raising a Reader Mother’s Day Campaign
  3. Wordless Wednesday: I. Am. Terrified.

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  • http://www.mommyofamonster.com Natalie@mommyofamonster

    I know what you mean all too well! Since I’ve been blogging, my reading of actual books is just about gone. I miss it so much! But I’ve lost the patience for it. Sigh. Interesting post!

  • http://twitter.com/5_dollarshake Jennifer

    It has not effected me like this as a reader but it sure has effected me as a blogger. I do a lot less actual blogging since I discovered Twitter and Facebook.

  • http://treerootandtwig.com Stacey @ Tree, Root, and Twig

    So true! And I find that I follow a lot more people on Twitter and Facebook than I actually do in blogs. So…I sometimes blog less and sometimes follow fewer blogs because of those other options. Strange how it’s all in the same “sphere” and yet can detract (or distract) from one another.

  • http://treerootandtwig.com Stacey @ Tree, Root, and Twig

    Natalie, not that I’m glad you feel that way too, but I *am* glad I’m not alone! I used to read 3 books a month, even with five kids swirling around me. I feel like my brain has been rewired with social media, though. I’m trying (emphasis on TRYing) to reverse that and get back to my roots. :)

  • http://somebodyhealme.dianalee.net/ Diana Lee

    I think the main way social media has affected my reading is that it encourages me to continue writing and trying to become a better writer. A huge part of that is reading as much as I possibly can. So I read more books than ever now. I love to read.

  • http://treerootandtwig.com Stacey @ Tree, Root, and Twig

    Thank you, Diana, for focusing on the positive! I recently realized (for the millionth time, it seems) that reading is an essential practice for better writing. Consequently, I’m trying to get back in the habit of regular reading. I’ve just found that my brain seems to have been re-wired because of all the time I spend online. :) I appreciate your passion, though, and am motivated by it! :)

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