by Timou

Created on: June 30, 2009

It might be wise to first be clear about what we mean when we mention 'reading skills'. The narrow definition would be a simple test of literacy, the mere capacity to understand words and the meaning of sentences constructed from those words. The broader definition could be a deeper comprehension of words and sentences, and how they relate to each other. Inference skills are inherently part of a higher order set of reading skills.

If we confine the discussion within the limits of a narrow definition of what reading skills are, then I am inclined to believe that the Internet has opened up a wide world of worlds that people might otherwise not have access to. While books have to be continually purchased to expand our literary exposure, a simple Internet connection can provide access to millions of websites that provide content on nearly any conceivable topic, fiction or non-fiction. That the Internet has widened the accessibility of information and knowledge is perhaps sufficient proof that the Internet has improved our reading skills.

However, we cannot deny that the world we live in now is highly sophisticated, and getting increasingly so with each day. It is no longer sufficient to merely understand verbatim. It has become crucial to be able to interpret information accurately and infer unspoken assumptions. For people to develop a capacity to do so, there must be sufficient literary material of a slightly more sophisticated level to provide the mental stimulation necessary to hone our analytical skills.

The Internet, while undeniably providing unparalleled access to reading material, is a poor regular of content. Anyone with access to a computer and rudimentary computer know-how is able of uploading content and information to the World Wide Web, and there are few, if any, regulatory bodies to authenticate the veracity of such content. Inaccurate content is the least of our worries. Texts with poor syntax and grammar can often be found online, and can be detrimental to the development of strong reading skills for young school-going children.

Printed books on the other hand go through some form of editing process, during which, texts of poor quality are weeded out and never make it to the commercial press. On top of that, publishing companies have a strong profit motive, and will only choose to publish quality material that they believe will be accepted amongst an increasingly educated consumer market. These two reasons provide some form of quality control, and ensure that books that are sold at bookstores or kept at libraries are of a minimum linguistic standard.

While the Internet must be lauded for bringing the joy of reading to many more, it cannot yet be said to be beneficial to the development of strong reading skills. The Internet badly needs some form of regulation to improve the quality of online material, and this needs to be implemented swiftly before more damage can be done to our reading skills, especially those of our impressionable young.

Learn more about this author, Timou.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.