by Jamie Elizabeth

Created on: January 25, 2010

The internet has changed the world in an incalculable number of ways. It has changed the way that people communicate, the way that business is done, and the way that information is shared and received. The internet has also had a great effect on people’s reading habits, as it has changed the way that people expect to receive both information and entertainment.

The internet is a great method for sharing and receiving large amounts of information very quickly. Nearly everyone who uses the internet has learned to process information quickly and to expect that information in a concise, easy to digest format. As the internet becomes the main platform from which many people get their information, they have come to expect that even information that is not on the internet be presented in this manner.

Reading habits, then, have shifted as those who write for publications such as newspapers and magazines have changed some of their formatting to compete with this new, concise manner of writing. People no longer read long, informational articles and essays, but may simply skim through to find the pertinent information or the information that is most interesting to them.

The shift in reading habits that has been caused by the internet does not only affect non-fiction and factual writing, however. As people become more accustomed to reading only short blurbs, even in instant messages or one-line emails, their overall attention span for words is changing. This means that even their attention span for novels and longer literary pursuits is waning. People who can find amusement from a few one-liners on a website or from a two minute Youtube video may not find it worth the effort to pick up a full length novel and read it from cover to cover.

The internet is a wonderful resource for many things, and it has allowed people all over the world to become more connected to each other. However, with its rapid speed, mentality of instant gratification, and its unique format, the internet has had a detrimental effect on the reading habits of an entire generation. The generation that grew up with the internet has an attention span that is conditioned to eschew any work of writing that requires a close, analytical read, or a long investment of time. The effect of the internet on reading habits cannot be ignored as the internet itself becomes more accessible to more people each day.

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