Reading In The 21st Century

2 Pages 606 Words

Reading in the twenty-first century has taken a backseat to the many distractions in life. There are many distractions in modern life including work, friends, responsibilities, school, worries, technology, children, parents, boyfriends and girlfriends, cell phones, computers, and cell phones. With this long list of distractions, it is amazing that reading is still a viable source of information and entertainment.
Americans, on the average, do not have time for reading in part because of work. If a person works forty hours a week, trying to pay the bills, they are not going to be able to spare the time to read a book. That is a sad fact, considering that reading could help them escape the grind of a routine that consists of eating, sleeping, and working.
In addition, friends get in the way of a potential readers’ reading. If a friend asks them to go do something with them, they feel an obligation to their friend causing them to lose the opportunity to read. On the other hand, I do not condone trading friends for books. Friends are a valuable resource, and they help you gain an understanding of life just as books do.
Another factor in the decline of reading is the rising number of responsibilities to which the American people commit themselves. The sheer number of activities they attend makes it nearly impossible to make time for reading even if they had the desire to read.



Unfortunately, that desire is not commonplace in American society. In fact, their peers beat it out of them. Their peers label readers with names like dork and bookworm. The American public views it as a social anathema. With pressure like this, it is very hard for a person to enjoy reading.
School also adds to readings reputation as an abnormal occupation. The schools require reading from a young age and this forced reading sparks the natural rebellion within all people. Therefore, the people form an association with reading that is negative in natu...