In 2008, ReadWriteWeb claimed that GEN-Y is taking over. The article Why Gen-Y is Going to Change the Web features several ways in which we differ from the rest of the world and how organizations, businesses in particular, can capitalize on this. I have to say the author was right on target. (Probably cause she is some twenty-year old intern writing the article. Of course I'm only speculating).
One particularly interesting insight was that websites will have to cater to shorter attention spans. For me, this is especially true and quite scary because I found that my focus in general has been lacking. Like the author in Is Google Making Us Stupid, reading for me has become more difficult than ever. I remember I used to breeze through books when I was in middle school, back when I didn't even really like the computer. Now I feel like I'm always chunking what I read and craving for bullet points and bold to guide me through a passage. This has made reading books nearly impossible. I am always reading passages over again because I would have been distracted by just about anything. This phenomenon happens for books I enjoy too! To remedy this I even bought a book on how to read effectively. Unfortunately, I never finished it.
I think reading online has really changed the way I read. I think I am actually hardwired now to comprehend a certain way.
So, I think someone (maybe me?) should develop a technique/a book on how to read post Internet brain scramble. By appealing to the tendencies of the Internet reader, perhaps we can re-learn how to read a book. Or maybe its time to change the way books are written.
What do you think?
Lastly for your amusement:
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Wow, I miss Reading Rainbow! I find that I'm still really good at reading books, but I still read them all the time. It's just like anything - you have to keep doing it to keep and improve the skill.
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