Is internet making books and book reading redundant? - Page 6

"Reading books vs. web surfing" may very well be a great topic to discuss but it provides a false dichotomy and hence not a debate. I am not knocking it, only saying that it doesn't offer a dilemma with two opposites, unless you are setting up two absurd choices one against the other, such as reading a classic book like War and Peace vs. surfing the web for Jeff Bezos' girlfriend's yacht's pictures, when you have time for only one.

Assuming we are picking reasonable alternatives when you have time to kill, assuming we are not comparing a physical copy of a book with a soft copy of the same, on a case-by-case basis, we could a) both read books and surf the web b) only read books c) only surf the web d) neither read nor surf but do something else.

For instance, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you would read the novels, watch the movies and participate in discussions on websites like Reddit or India Forums. That is an argument in favor of "both read and surf". When I am coding and I have a question on C#, I am not going to run to the store or go to Amazon.com to purchase an O'Reilly Media publication on C#. I would surf the web (stackoverflow.com, c-sharpcorner.com, geeksforgeeks.org) or ask ChatGPT. That is an argument in favor of "only surf". Why waste money on a book which may or may not solve your problem when you can surf and find the solution you are looking for?

I am sure you could come up with your own arguments for/against the choices but the fact that we have more than two choices here precludes this from being a debate. In a debate, winning is the goal. There have to be two warring parties, opposing each other, attempting to prove each other wrong without proffering personal experiences and preferences as supporting material to prove a point.

Happy discussing!

Originally posted by: LizzieBennet

Would love to have more recs from you! 😳 If you could post them here, that would be lovely!

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/writers-corner-books-stories-and-poems/5316726/romance-books-reviews-and-recommendations

PS. Would love to have all your recommendations with a review - all avid readers on this thread!

Lovely collation you have there Lizzie

Originally posted by: SEA05

Yes, dear, that's it)

One of the best writers

It is very interesting, I read it long after watching the movie and was completely delighted.

Agree. By the way, can you read something from Mr. Sidney?) Thanks for the idea)

Originally posted by: Armu4eva

Lovely collation you have there Lizzie

I will agree there is the distractions of the mindless scrolling on tiktok or insta etc it can be distracting and pull you away from reading or doing basic chores around the house especially when it comes to the popular threads like the AITA stories or crime stories. I am one of those that would get pulled away and decide I'll read after a couple of hours.

Personally I have not seen a decline of books being second choice to surfing the web. I am a part of a lot of book clubs online, following blogs, booktok and there are so many readers that I had not known about. I feel the internet is great in how we access these different platforms and engage and find other book lovers. It's a way of finding new books and authors that you would not have known about.

When I was young, my mother used to take us to the library every weekend and that was our way of bonding and spending time together during the weekends as she used to work two jobs, one being a tutor in English. So my love for books stemmed from my childhood but I did stop reading for a number of years until about 2008/9. I had come across fanfictions which I had started reading and felt I missed books. So I went and started borrowing from the library but the returning of them did hurt so I started buying paperbacks. I didn't know about e-readers until 2016. Amazon also have branched out with these kindle unlimited memberships making it easier for ardent readers to be able to read endlessly and not break the bank. Now I only buy paperbacks of books that I have absolutely loved and will do a re-read otherwise it is just reading books via kindle unlimited.

The internet has also expanded and brought the ideas of audiobooks and made it possible for those who don't have time to sit and read, for them to listen and work. This is something I do, I will switch my audibook on when it comes to cooking or cleaning and during the drive to work when I have to go into the office.

In my opinion, I don't think books are being redudant. Books were available back then, are available now and will continuing being available especially with these trends, booktok etc and I think the book community has grown massively due to the internet and social media platforms. Recently the final offer by Lauren Asher has been out, I went to the bookstore to buy it because I like staring at the different beautiful covers, it was out of stock within 2 days according to the staff. I was sorely disappointed and went back a couple of times and it's been out of stock. I'm now just going to order the final book off amazon.

Originally posted by: SEA05

Agree. By the way, can you read something from Mr. Sidney?) Thanks for the idea)

What do you mean can I read something? lol

This means that I thought aloud what book of his I should read. The translator and my English could not convey the peculiarities of Russian speech, damn it))

Originally posted by: SEA05

This means that I thought aloud what book of his I should read. The translator and my English could not convey the peculiarities of Russian speech, damn it))

So sorry, I didnt know you dont speak English? Are you asking for a recommendation or did you already start reading?

I have only read a few of his books so far, my favourite is Are You Afraid Of The Dark.

I have heard many praises of Tell Me Your Dreams, but i havent read it yet