ELLIE SKJERSAA / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Today, bookshelves are home to stacks of dust-covered pages that have gone untouched and unbothered for years. Whether the world likes it or not, it is undeniable that  humans  have   turned  away  from books and instead, turned toward screens.

In universities, the pivot to digital textbooks and digital note-taking is a clear reflection of this societal transformation. In lieu of the rapid rise of other forms of entertainment, books have been put on the backburner, trailing behind social media, television and podcasts. USD English Professor Sara Hasselbach shared how this transition has affected work in the classroom.

“I allow one novel, maybe two, per semester,” Hasselbach said. “I used to do four, easily. [Now], I have more short stories, poems and digital content. We watch series and films — I pick really good ones, but at the end of the day, I want them to be critical thinkers, and so I am sacrificing [books] so that they’re getting content and information still.”

There are many possible reasons why reading has fallen behind  in  recent  times —  the rise of AI technology and outside distractions are just a few. Hasselbach specifically pointed out the impact of social media on attention spans.

“Reading requires a lot of active engagement,” Hasselbach said. “It’s not as passive as watching something. I also think one of the reasons people are reading less is that attention spans aren’t what they once were, and I think that also relates to screen time and social media. Reading does train you  to kind  of  sit with  something,  and  that’s just like  not happening as much and there are really good reasons why it’s not happening. People are busy, but I do think there are long term, bad repercussions of that.”

Physical books are disappearing from people’s book bags, bookshelves and even university curriculums. Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Short attention spans have plagued all social media users, no matter the age. USD sophomore Dylan Adra sympathizes with this point.

“[Reading is] one of those things that, it’s hard to get myself to do,” Adra said. “We  live in a  digital  age where it’s way  easier  and it feels much better to just doom scroll on your phone for a long time, rather than reading an actual book. Now that I’m getting used to consuming the short-form content, it’s hard for me to sit down with a book and take my time.”

For a lot of students, like Adra, this is a harsh reality. At the end of a long, hard day, it is much easier to turn toward a passive form of entertainment rather than something that takes brain power. However,  some students have always been drawn to reading and, because of that, they have found ways to integrate it into their busy schedules.

“In my childhood, [reading] was huge,” USD sophomore and English major Tatum Gries said. “I used to go to the bookstore with my mom once a week and we would come home with a huge  stack. Today, I would say, during the summer I read a lot, weekly for sure, but, when I’m at school, it’s harder because I’m reading so much for my major. I still have my fun  books  at school, so I try to read for pleasure whenever I can.”

Gries explained that because she has always loved reading, this drove her toward a discipline that has allowed her to continue picking up books. She explained that, to her, reading is something that everyone should get to enjoy.

“I think we need to read more,” Gries said. “It’s really good for your brain, it’s so good for your mental health, it really challenges you intellectually and you’re learning new things. I think sometimes when you’re just sitting and scrolling on Instagram for hours, you’re not retaining any of the information that you read versus when you read a book, you remember because it becomes a part of who you are in a way.”

Gries pointed out that reading possesses some kind of power that social media doesn’t; it sticks with people. Not only this, but it also allows one to step into the shoes of someone else, someone unexpected. This is something that the algorithm of social media does not offer,  as it is tailored to what each individual viewer wants to see.

“One of the things I really love about what literature and reading can do is that it’s a mind opening experience, and it really engages people’s sense of empathy,” Hasselbach said. “I think reading broadly develops us as people and makes us think outside of ourselves more, instead of just turning  inward  all the time.  You’re  allowing   someone’s  voice  to kind of come into  your head.  I think both of  those  can be really powerful,  and  if you’re open enough to read, I think you’re probably open enough to like being moved by experiences outside of yourself.”

Ink and paper have historically been the most powerful form of communication for human civilizations. However, in the recent digital age, people, especially younger generations, have begun to replace  the   pen  for  keyboards,   paper  for  screens and books  for films. As technology continues to evolve, the potential damage or benefits this could have on society will show in the narratives that are told and the stories that society chooses to listen to each day.

The Mother Hill Reading Room, known to many as ‘The Harry Potter Room,’ is home to shelves of books. Photo courtesy of Shannen Swars/ USD Vista