Books: A Dying Art Form?

With the recent fear that books are dying out, many discussions have cropped up about the impact of technology. I read a recent article about how an increasing number of parents aren’t reading to their toddlers. Instead, children are spending much of their time in front of TV. By the time they go to school they lack: 1. social skills; 2. motor skills – many can’t even hold a pencil; 3. concentration skills.

The problem isn’t reserved to toddlers either. We are all spending much more of our time on distractions such as social media, phone apps, utube, blogs, computer games, tv, movies, podcasts and so forth.

How does this impact the humble book? I remember a time when travelling the train every second person had a book in their hands. Now every second person seems to have a phone in their hands.

We’ve also seen the impact through the closure of many local bookstores. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of buying less traditional books. My kindle is only a few months old but already the paper books feel clunky and cumbersome in my hands. I never thought I’d ever feel that way.

What does it mean for writers? It’s a fantastic time to be a writer. We have so many more options than we did 20 years ago. It’s no longer about ‘the book’, it’s about story. While the book as we know it may die out, story will always survive.

Story began as word of mouth. It became paintings on cave walls and spread exponentially once the written word developed and birthed the first book. Now we are seeing another time of change. With today’s technology story has become more than the spoken and written word. Story can also include images and music and animation.

Do you think books are dying? What do you think the future will reveal regarding reading and books and story?