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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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 tbf I grew up with Book It!, so I encountered competitive reading as a corporate-sponsored activity in, like, elementary/middle school
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I've gotten used to it. If a show doesn't hold my interest past episode 3 or 4, it's done for me. It's why I've never watched much beloved shows who take 3 seasons to get good like DS9. I got better shit to do then slog through multiple seasons of "it's fine I guess" when there's so much else to watch.
@JessTheUnstill @nazokiyoubinbou @Nicovel0 @Daojoan
Same. I drop books, walk out of movies, turn off music. If it sucks? My opinion should matter to me. And my time matters to me and others.
Being judicious is a life skill.
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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 Hard agree. And I think talking about reading totals can be dispiriting to people who really struggle to read.
Also, is reading one YA novel equivalent to reading Don Quixote? Not that there’s anything wrong with YA novels (I’m reading one now).
But a “book” is a poor unit of measure.
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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.
@Daojoan Wow, that is well said and so true. Thank you
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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 saw someone having read 93 books in 2 months on fable!!! And their goal is 365 books. I was so amazed
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@hugoestr @Daojoan I've been doing several "slow reads" lately. Either by reading a chapter a week - currently doing Carl Sagan's Cosmos for that. Or a little each day for really long books. I recently finished the audiobook of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I started in December and listened to about 30 minutes a day most days. And it worked really well like that. I felt had had time to absorb and remember stuff, rather than rushing onwards and forgetting.
@Daojoan @beecycling Nice! I should read Cosmos. The TV show had a strong impact on me when I was a kid
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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 some of the best advice about reading books https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm8oXab3zSk
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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 wait, it;s not enough just to buy them? /s
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Full ack. It always enrages me when my e-book reader announces that I have been on a reading streak. I would have been on a reading streak without this "nudging", but I feel that trying to keep me doing something I would have done anyway out of inclination is trying to devalue my reading. Sort of "you are (only) reading to stay in the reading streak, and we know it's hard for you, so we try to help you by telling you 'good boy'".
Also: I I haven't read for a day, maybe I have been thinking? So WTF, e-book reader.
@glitzersachen
That's the sort of thing that would make me look for another eBook reader, honestly.
@Daojoan -
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 even a single book read is better than none
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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 think book clubs convinced people of that before the internet X-D
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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.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@Daojoan/116159038233549644
@Daojoan I genuinely think the worst thing the internet did to reading was Amazon.com.
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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 even reading getting commodified
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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.
Not that I have ever felt reader guilt for my completed-reads count, but I take forever to finish most novels, The good thing is I am always reading---I think this is most important.
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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 absolutely agree.
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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 The funniest bit is that people go "omg this book was so great and I'm a huge fan of it", then you ask them a question and they go "huh????"...
They went over it so fast, they didn't really understand the book beyond the surface level... -
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 think the urge to gamify activities is older than the Internet - but it certainly hasn't gotten better since.
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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 And write about them, whether it be in a personal journal or Medium/Substack, a blog, or wherever else.
