Reading in a post-textual era

摘要

This paper analyses major social shifts in reading by comparing publishing statistics withresults of empirical research on reading.As media statistics suggest, the last five decadeshave seen two shifts: from textual to visual media, and with the advent of digital screensalso from long-form to short-form texts.This was accompanied by new media-adequatereading modes: while long-form content invokes immersed and/or deep reading, wepredominantly skim online social media.Empirical research on reading indicates that thereading substrate plays an important role in reading processes.For example,comprehension suffers when complex texts are read from screens.This paper argues thatmedia and reading trends in recent decades indicate broader social and cultural changes inwhich long-form deep reading traditionally associated with the printed book will bemarginalised by prevailing media trends and the reading modes they inspire.As thesetrends persist, it may be necessary to find new approaches to vocabulary and knowledgebuilding.