I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport.
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@dzwiedziu @Daojoan Off the top of my head the John Waters quote was something like: “If you go back to someone’s house and they don’t have any books don’t fuck them.” Sound advice.
@arratoon
Yeah, that is even quoted on the action's page, yet I was looking for a primary source to verify.And to expand this is troublesome advice. Books can be in storage or electronic or audio. You can read magazines, zines, long-form articles, and still be a decent person.
Because often such thinking is intellectual snobbery, as books are often expensive and require time.
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan It did that to a lot of things that I imagine we'd consider indulging in the arts, whether as a first-party or third-party enjoyer. It used to be such a mindful activity. Now it feels like everything wants us to see art as work. Both the initial creation as well as our interactions with art.
I long for society to remember to be mindful and intentional again.
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@Daojoan you can even stop reading a book you don’t enjoy, or read a book you like several times.
Mad I know. -
I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan
Was anyone convinced of that? -
I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan yep. give me dungeon crawler Carl style stuff I'd disappear for few days.
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan guilty as charged (quantifying is addictive too...)
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan "finishing books is a competitive sport".
Interesting, I hadn't even heard. Are there prizes?
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan or take pauses from one book, I like to do that as that makes me enjoy the book more and I can play around with the characters in my head between reading sessions :3
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan@mastodon.social Nice of you to force your convictions onto others. I read for pleasure and knowledge. If I read a lot, it’s my business, not yours.
No TV no movies. To each their own. -
I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan I’ve been reading a lot these past couple of years, and I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing. You’re absolutely right. I finished a book yesterday, and it’s still sitting with me. I’m not ready to move on to another one just yet.
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan
I abandoned Goodreads ages ago, even before Amazon bought it. -
@Daojoan "finishing books is a competitive sport".
Interesting, I hadn't even heard. Are there prizes?
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan personally I try to review most of them in writing, and keep a list just for myself. Various views on the counting trend in this recent Guardian piece: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/21/last-year-i-read-137-books-could-setting-targets-help-you-put-down-your-phone-and-pick-up-a-book
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@raymaccarthy @Daojoan oh, I'll pass. Seems like it would be too easy to cheat in any case.
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan important is quality not quantity
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan
This is so true... Well said -
@benroyce
This is a bad attempt of a joke.Not only it's the bad kind of cringe, it's now making me have a cascade response because of my AuADHD.
And now I am very angry and down, because I have to relive some shit in a fucking dark period of my life.
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alright sorry, i'll delete it
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I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was convince people that finishing books is a competitive sport. You don't need to read 52 books a year. You just need to read. Books you like. At your own pace. And think about them for longer than a TikTok video.
@Daojoan It was common practice in past centuries, amongst the learned, to read portions of books piecemeal. They would also mark the books up and/or write about them in commonplace books.
