Am I Really Reading Online?

In Rich’s article, Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?, the author calls on the debate of whether reading skills of the average teenager are increasing or decreasing. On one hand Rich says that Internet prowling has caused teens to malfunction in regards to literacy; yet, points out that no matter what one does with the time spent on the Internet they will have to encounter some form of text. “Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem.” Rich uses Nadia Konyk as an example, though she spends much of her time on the internet, she does mostly read, he mentions her visiting sites such as quizilla.com and fanfiction.net [fictionpress is better] which require the users to be able to comprehend the content of the site. Some say that since technology is a major component of everyday life in this generation, it will benefit children when they are looking for “digital –age jobs.” Some countries are even planning to experiment with digital literacy. Some argue to say that yes, books really are helpful but they give you excess information, whereas online you get just what you need. Which is a great thing for dyslexic people, with the graphics that the online world offers comprehension is not a difficult task.

Opposition to the view that the Internet promotes literacy comes from many more; the people in the article have come to disagree with this. “What we are losing in this country and presumably around the world is the sustained, focused, linear attention developed by reading,” said Mr. Gioia of the N.E.A. “I would believe people who tell me that the Internet develops reading if I did not see such a universal decline in reading ability and reading comprehension on virtually all tests.” he basically implies that though many can say that they are better of reading online as it can be more convenient, it can’t really be proven as an effective way to increase skills. The article also points out that many are incompetent when it comes to rooting out fact from opinion or joke. According to the article, there is a test; iSkills that has been developed to test the way teens utilize the Internet.

So are we really reading online? I think that reading, whether it’s a book or webpage, is different depending on the individual. Some people are better suited to get their reading done with print right in front of them, while others can do it online. Its not that people are incapable of literacy with respect to traditional print, it’s simply a choice they make based on what is convenient for them.