Technology Was Supposed to Kill Reading
For years, we have been hearing that technology will kill reading. First came smartphones. Then social media. Short-form videos. And now AI.
The assumption was simple: people will have shorter attention spans, books will become less relevant, and eventually, fewer people will read.
But lately, I have been noticing something interesting. I am increasingly coming across articles in newspapers and magazines about books, reading habits, book recommendations, reading trends, and book reviews.
PS: I read only 2 english newspapers and one magazine, but the articles about books are increasing in frequency.
Book communities are growing. People are sharing what they are reading. And physical books are still finding their way into people’s hands. Maybe the story isn’t as simple as we thought.
Maybe We Need Books More Than Ever
The more technology becomes part of our lives, the more we may start looking for experiences that make us feel human.
Reading is not the fastest way to consume information.
You could ask AI to summarise a book in a few seconds. You could watch a video explaining its key ideas. You could listen to a podcast about it.
But none of that is the same as sitting with a book.
A book gives us time. Time to pause. To imagine. To disagree. To reflect. Sometimes, to get lost in someone else’s world for a few hours.
Maybe that is something technology cannot replace.
As someone who has been writing book reviews and sharing my reading experiences on Curious Titans since 2021, this makes me particularly happy.
Over the years, people have occasionally told me that they picked up a book after reading my review. I am sure many more have read something I recommended without ever telling me.
And honestly, that’s enough. If something I write helps even a few people discover a good book and read a little more, I feel I have contributed something.
Perhaps AI won’t kill reading after all. Maybe, in an increasingly technological world, reading will become even more important.
Because sometimes, the more advanced our technology becomes, the more we look for things that remind us that we are human.
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