It's true. Nobody reads anymore

In the report, which was compiled and assembled by the National Endowment for the Arts, NEA chairman Dana Gioia says, “The story the data tell is simple, consistent, and alarming. Although there has been measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at the elementary school level, all progress appears to halt as children enter their teenage years.”

Gioia goes on to say, “There is a general decline in reading among teenage and adult Americans. Most alarming, both reading ability and the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college graduates.”

The suspected culprits behind the younger generation's waning desire to read come as no real surprise and have been the nemesis of some grade-specific paper producers for years: electronic media and devices. Talking on cellphones (Apple's iPhone is amazing), listening to iPods, text messaging, instant messaging, and surfing the Web, have all become America's favorite pastimes.

A classic example of this e-obsession is portrayed by friend of mine. He's a CPA who is a Blackberry addict and claims he needs it for work. At any given time on any given day at any given venue he can instantly give you a 5-day weather forecast, the Boston traffic report, who's playing who in the NFL, NBA, NHL (along with the oddsmakers' lines on the games), and whether the Dow is up or down. Where are pistachio nuts grown? “Hold on, let me Google that for you.” He's absolutely out of control.

Before I go any further, I'm not saying there is something wrong with the above-mentioned diversions. Although I'm not too swift when it comes to sending text messages on my cell and haven't yet fallen into the IM'ing world of communications, I do live on my computer at work.

The NEA's 2007 report is a compilation of more than 40 studies by universities, foundations, business groups, and government agencies since 2004. Among the findings:

Almost half of Americans between ages 18 and 24 read no books for pleasure.
Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers.
15- to 24-year-olds spend only 7-10 minutes per day on voluntary reading. In contrast, that same group spends 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day watching TV.
I guess these are some of the consequences of the multimedia world we live in. And as Gioia points out, a number of factors are at play. “First, something is not happening in our educational system. Second, we are surrounded by nonstop media, but for the most part it does not acknowledge reading. Third, our lives are completely cluttered with a million gadgets.”

Considering the Christmas holiday season will be getting underway when this issue of PaperAge reaches you, my gift-giving advice is simple: buy a teenager or a 20-something on your list a book or a subscription to a magazine that's fun to read ...and leave the gadget-giving to someone else.

John O'Brien can be reached at: jobrien@paperage.com