Reading culture is defined as the habit or practice of regularly reading educative and informative materials. There are so many benefits to having a good reading culture. Some of such benefits are: increased fluency, motivation, gained knowledge and expanded vocabulary.
Reading books and other materials regularly also boosts memory and enhances creativity and skill acquisition. Research has also shown that reading relieves stress, educates and stimulates the mind.
Despite all these benefits, the reading culture has dropped to a great extent, in our world today. What is the reason for this, you may wonder? The answer is not far-fetched —technological advancement.
Technological advancement, particularly in telecommunication, has had a toll on reading culture, despite its many advantages, such as making communication easier and being an equal opportunity provider or economic equalizer.
However, the constant refreshing of social media feeds on various apps have made people’s attention spans much shorter than ever in the history of mankind. Videos get more views than textual posts.
Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube and other apps that are video-focused have tons of content to keep their audiences glued to their mobile devices. Reading, therefore, becomes a distant second or gets taken off the to-do list completely.
None of us is immune to these apps and their ever-refreshing content. Plus, this trend or apps are not going anywhere any time soon. Rather, they are likely to become more in number. So, how do you improve your reading culture in the midst of a social media world?
Be Deliberate About your Reading Culture.
When you know the many benefits of having a good reading culture, you are likely to be more deliberate about having one. Remember that for any change to occur, you have to be determined and focused. So, take deliberate actions that will improve your reading culture.
Cut down on Distractions.
If you want to enjoy the vast benefits of reading, you should cut off or at least cut down on distractions. Turn off the mobile devices. Switch off the computer. Leave the television turned off.
Train yourself to stay away from the mental overstimulation caused by surfing social media pages. Initially, it might be difficult to stay away from your apps but with continuous practice, it becomes easier and you can go for longer periods.
Map out Time for Reading.
Map out time on your calendar, specifically for reading. There is so much you could achieve, if you carve out 1 hour every day, just to read. You could choose a fixed time of the day. If you usually have free time after 8pm, you could pencil in your daily reading for 8pm to 9pm.
However, if your schedule is fluid, you could also switch up your reading time. The important thing is that you read a book every day.
Read Hard Copies.
When your devices are turned off, it is best to start off by reading a hard copy. This allows you to focus on reading, as opposed to swiping to other apps, if you were reading a soft copy. Reading a physical book also helps you observe the formatting of texts.
Outline the Books you Want to Read.
Create a reading list that will guide you on what books you want to read for a specific time. It could be over a 1-year or 6-month span. You could get different books on different subjects so that at the end of your exercise, you would have gained more knowledge of various subject matters and possibly become an expert on one or two.
You could read inspirational books, motivational books, DIY books, self-help books, educational books, etc. It is also advised that you include one or two books in your field, so that you become better in your field, as well.
Set a Deadline and Target.
Just like any goal, you should set a timeframe and deadline for reading a book from start to finish. When you have set a deadline, you could calculate how many pages you have to read each day in order to meet your deadline.
While adhering to your schedule, read at a pace that allows you to fully comprehend the subject matter and possibly pick up new words as you read. The rule is to keep a good pace but remain steady.
Proceed to Reading E-books.
When you have disciplined yourself to turn off the gadgets and keep them turned off and read a book each day for a period of time, you can advance to reading e-books. Maintain the discipline you have acquired over the period you have read only hard copies.
Leave the internet switched off and concentrate on your e-copy. You could put your phone, tablet or computer on airplane mode to avoid all distractions that could come via the device.
Read Online Articles.
Having built the discipline and consistency needed to maintain a good reading culture, you could go on to read articles on the internet. Choose blogs that have enlightening content. Remember to focus on your reading, and not switch to other apps or blogs that do not benefit you and encourage growth.
Follow Pages and People with Wholesome Content.
Another way to ensure that you learn, even while on social media, is to follow pages and people who churn out wholesome content. This will prevent you from scrolling from post to post without learning something useful.
Read Lengthy Articles.
As mentioned earlier, one of the disadvantages of social media-induced poor reading culture is the short attention span. So, one of the goals of this whole exercise of improving reading culture is to increase your attention span. The longer your attention span, the more likely you will continue to practice your daily reading.
Therefore, read lengthy articles in newspapers, blogs, social media posts, magazines, etc. This will not only build your attention span but also your patience to get to the end of a text while maintaining an interest in the details in between.
Even though reading culture is very poor across the world, it can be improved by consistent and deliberate reading. It is not a lost cause. You can go back to reading and loving it.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE 6 Benefits of Education