How important is reading of books in todays world?

[Yucky]

A similar trait i have found with my Gen Z is that a lot of them hardly read abstract books that's not related to their area of specialty. its no longer like what was the case with most of our parents that read books on leadership, public speaking, studied the lifestyle of so many alpha personality in different fields and filled up their library with books from different areas of life. those books gave them in-debt knowledge on diverse areas.

my generation do more of YouTube and get additional aids through AI or chatGPT which mostly gives a shallow information compared to what's compiled in books.
            has the shift in the mode of getting knowledge and information affected how exposed this generation is to undaunted information?
            whats the effect of the decline in the reading culture among most youth?

[BADecker]

Reading books is good mental stimulation. Depending on the book, info can be found faster in books. The Big "THEY" want to dumb us down so we can't out-think them. That's one of the reasons for movies and videos.

[Krishna1942]

Even we have lot of information in youtube but they miss continuity and  available in parts, if you want to learn any thing deeply it is better to go with books. But the problem is nowadays people don't have time to buy books

[aoluain]

Arguably the two most beneficial elements to reading books are that it reduces stress
(its therapeutic) and increases knowledge, which is kind of obvious, it stimulates
our minds and feeds our imaginations, it teaches us how to research topics that is not
at the click of a button..

With social media and AI technology there is too much distraction ^{social media} and
just plain laziness ^{relying on AI} - it wont be long before humans
will be suffering even more with mental issues and being reliant on AI to carry out
what we consider simple tasks. The art of research will be totally lost on them, as will
the ability to actually spell and write words, create a sentence or paragraph of their
own on a piece of paper with pen. I really fear for humans in the future, we/they will
be capable of very little.

[Marvelockg]

There is a popular phrase that goes, "If you want to hide an information form the average youth, put it in a book. Even if you give it to him, he will never notice that information. Reading culture has faded too much such  that it's almost as though it's  not necessary to read books again. And it's not just reading culture that have faded, even the way we write has also experienced an high level of decline. With most persons doing most of thier writing on mobile device and can make use of writing materials like  gramarrly which correct your spelling and even helps you with the right use of punctuation signs, it has done more harm that good to us and its only when you're required to write using pen and paper that you discover your flaws and area of weaknesses.

Writing aids, YouTube or whatever you're relying on for your information shouldn't take away the place of reading. Maybe it's not necessary to over read bulky books but not reading at all will make your growth a bit tainted. Reading calms the nerves down, improves your memory and is the perfect way of exercising your brain. The same way physical exercise helps your body to become physically fit, reading also helps your brain and mind become more fit and retentive.

[DeathAngel]

Reading books is important for people of all ages as it enhances cognitive skills, helps imagination & improves vocabulary. For children it supports language development & critical thinking. Adults benefit from reading by gaining knowledge, reducing stress & enhancing empathy through diverse perspectives. Books stimulate mental engagement which can help prevent cognitive decline in older people. Reading nurtures a lifelong love of learning & personal growth making it a vital activity for everyone.

[franky1]

reading is essential... but books? have you never heard of kindle

the breadth of information is far more accessible and vast in the digital age, google has more information than an encyclopaedia

[LTU_btc]

It's good topic to discuss. I guess that reading of books now don't play such big role as it used before. Though, when I go to library, often there is quite a lot people, especially young, what is a bit.
I can tell from my own perspective - I barely read books nowadays. I struggle to find time for reading and even when I find, I struggle to keep attention, there is too many distractions for me from. And personally, don't really like all these fictional stories like novels, science fiction or fantasy, I don'tthink that I can't benefit somehow from reading such kind of books. I prefer historical books or biographies.
Speaking about young generation, it's so dififcult to make them to be interested in books when they have things like Tik Tok or Youtube  Who needs to learn something when Wikipedia have all answers to your questions. Not even talking about AI tools.

reading is essential... but books? have you never heard of kindle

the breadth of information is far more accessible and vast in the digital age, google has more information than an encyclopaedia

I think OP's point isn't about way how you consume books - it might be old school paper book, kindle or even audio book. It's more about you're reading or not.

[Hispo]

I am the kind of person who believe there is no replacement for a good physical book, not even e-books are a definite replacement for them.
When I was in college, there was this option to study using a physical book from the library or downloading the same book in PDF format, I always preferred to have the real thing in my hands rather than just staring at a screen for hours and hours.

I also believe the Generation Z could be losing the ability to hand write, as we are living in a period of time where people are getting used to typing on smartphone and keyboards than anything, even in schools, there seems people are going completely digital and dishing pencil and paper.

That is one of the reasons some schools are giving classes to children on hand writing and even teaching them how to read analog clocks again, instead of digital ones.

[Mr.right85]

Reading of books is a not so done activity in our world today. Technology just might have drawn a lot of attention away from the practice. We have digital books for sure but, this is rather challenging as, you’ve got power to deal with and having constant light rays from your screen to your eyes.
Hence, hardcopy book reading has been some of the best way to approach reading and the importance to reading cannot be over emphasized.

Books is a way to ensure proper mental awareness. It keeps your mind and heart snap, ensures your prepared for every mental situation and gives you a lot of confidence.

[Die_empty]

my generation do more of YouTube and get additional aids through AI or chatGPT which mostly gives a shallow information compared to what's compiled in books.
            has the shift in the mode of getting knowledge and information affected how exposed this generation is to undaunted information?
            whats the effect of the decline in the reading culture among most youth?

This generation lacks patience. They want to achieve everything within a short period, which is why most of them think books are obsolete. They prefer going to social media like YouTube to get the necessary information. The effects of a low reading culture in our society will include lack of creative thinking, poor vocabulary, impatience, shallow knowledge and exposure to wrong information.

Books help to build the imaginary skills of people, thereby sharpening their creativity. Most of the videos people view on the internet are not produced by professionals. Hence, people can be exposed to incorrect language construction. Books also increase the amount of vocabulary people are exposed to. My children are always scared of reading books because they feel it is bulky and will take a lot of time to read. I usually persuade them to take the challenge of reading this book because it will build patience and make them take responsibility. Books usually give readers a comprehensive view of the subject matter. Meanwhile, information on social media is usually concocted and arranged to attract viewers.

[Semen222]

When you read a book, you imagine the images and actions in your head. When you use a video instead of a book, you are essentially consuming by-products of all your food.

[aoluain]

When you read a book, you imagine the images and actions in your head. When you use a video instead of a book, you are essentially consuming by-products of all your food.

Absolutely, 100% correct

Books are stimulating for the brain and helps us create our own imagery, video
doesnt stimulate us as much other than in an emotional way.

I am the kind of person who believe there is no replacement for a good physical book, not even e-books are a definite replacement for them.
When I was in college, there was this option to study using a physical book from the library or downloading the same book in PDF format, I always preferred to have the real thing in my hands rather than just staring at a screen for hours and hours.

I also believe the Generation Z could be losing the ability to hand write, as we are living in a period of time where people are getting used to typing on smartphone and keyboards than anything, even in schools, there seems people are going completely digital and dishing pencil and paper.

That is one of the reasons some schools are giving classes to children on hand writing and even teaching them how to read analog clocks again, instead of digital ones.

Like reading I believe handwriting improves concentration levels and can
help us to be creative.

I wonder will all these skills actually die out with future generations or will
educators realise they are essential before its too late?

[franky1]

reading is essential... but books? have you never heard of kindle

the breadth of information is far more accessible and vast in the digital age, google has more information than an encyclopaedia

I think OP's point isn't about way how you consume books - it might be old school paper book, kindle or even audio book. It's more about you're reading or not.

actually the OP said how the internet

mostly gives a shallow information compared to what's compiled in books.

yet its actually books that are filled with one sided stories and fantasy, yet the internet is a resource to get many sources and then form the opinion/judgement based on what seems most accurate/realistic

even the bible(worlds oldest/infamous book) has many inaccuracies in it and leads people into believing in things that cause problems

..
the problem is not the lack of reading of books, its lack of creative thinking, critical thinking when reading, listening, watching, researching
its this lack of creative/critical thinking that leads to lack of desire to read

[passwordnow]

            has the shift in the mode of getting knowledge and information affected how exposed this generation is to undaunted information?

100%.
The shift of coming from books to visual aids to videos, vlogs, etc. has made acquiring of knowledge quicker but I don't think it's better. Instead of getting to read the information and understanding it, today's generation is just listening and watching for entertainment and forget the content of those informational videos that they are watching.

whats the effect of the decline in the reading culture among most youth?

They are having lesser patience for which if you're reading, you have more patience and that's being developed and making you a better person. You also learn more vocabularies because it passes through your eyes up to your mind. Well, I don't want to say it but many of the people that are in today's generation are lazy and I think that the shorts and other short videos from the internet did contributed into that manner.

[Fiatless]

yet its actually books that are filled with one sided stories and fantasy, yet the internet is a resource to get many sources and then form the opinion/judgement based on what seems most accurate/realistic

One can still find some good books on the internet. Most hardcopy books have been turned into ebooks and can be accessed from different online bookshops.

even the bible(worlds oldest/infamous book) has many inaccuracies in it and leads people into believing in things that cause problems

..
the problem is not the lack of reading of books, its lack of creative thinking, critical thinking when reading, listening, watching, researching
its this lack of creative/critical thinking that leads to lack of desire to read

Christians will never accept that the Bible has any shortcomings or inaccuracies, this is seen as heresy. This is because it is believed that it is inspired by a Superhumans who cannot make any mistake.

I also think that some religious teachings are making people to lose the ability to think creatively. When people are told that they should depend on God for everything, the tend to lose the ability to think and solve problems since they have been taught that God will do all they need. People should be able to think creatively and come up with solution to their problems and not relying only on people's knowledge seen in books or other learning materials.

[Nothingtodo]

In the context of today's world, reading books i.e. forming the habit of reading books has become a past necessity. People of earlier days were not dependent on social media so they had the habit of reading books but nowadays young generation is completely dependent on social media so they are not able to form the habit of reading books in them. Generation Z spends all their time on social media such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, so they don't get enough time to read books. If Generation Z gets enough opportunities to read books and form a habit, then the next World Cup will surely make a very important difference from Generation Z.

[Segmadis]

It is very, very important to read books. Any kind of book is better than just watch tiktok videos. That said 1-2 hours a day is good enough as a starter.

[CoinFoxs]

Reading books allows you to think out of the box, this habit is complementary to be successful.

[Kcrypto18]

Books have a way of exposing readers to different perspectives and allows them to practice critical thinking. While videos and AI are easy ways to access quick info, they often don’t provide the detailed knowledge that books can. Online content is also often curated in certain ways, affected by what the governments and big companies of the world wants us to see and know. I think the decline in reading amongst GenZ is leading them to a more narrow understanding of the world.