During our Dreamfish Lab meeting last week, Peter (Kaminski) suggested several cool titles for me and Paul (Loper) to read about complementary economy. Fascinating subject. I want to learn all there is to know about these very old, and also very new ways to capture transactions. There is only one problem. Books scare me now. They really do.
Ever since I discovered blogs, and Facebook, and Twitter, I have slowly, but surely moved away from books. My excuse: I have no time. There is always a new post to write, or read, or comment on, and stuff to tweet about. And when I need an answer, I go on Twitter or Linkedin, or to the Google Search box.
The thought of reading a book fills me with angst. I am not sure I am up to the task, anymore. The last time, was Obama‘s Dreams From my Father. But that was easy reading. My mind has become accustomed to quick scanning, quite a different gymnastic from sustained attention.
I did a bit of research on “Internet culture”, “reading”, brain”, on Google . . . And came up with links to several blog articles. I am not alone apparently. The Internet generation is at risk of turning stupid, according to some researchers. Maryanne Wolf, from Tufts University, devotes a whole chapter on the topic, in her book, “Proust and the Squid: the Story and the Science of the Reading Brain“. Of course, I did not read the book. Instead, I read an article about the book, to get the main idea.
La Marguerite 
I found twitter was getting in the way of much of what I was doing by interrupting concentration. I had agreed to use it for 4 months for an anthropologist who is studying this sort of stuff, but after about 2 months I found myself counting the days. I was going to completely shutdown on Jan 1, but a few people said this was the only way we would get together. So I cut my list of people I follow to about 30 and have 4 or 5 twitter open windows of 5 minutes each during the day. This way I can catch up on things that have been said and put out comments.
This type of app completely ruins my deep thinking and productivity if I leave it on while I’m at my machine. I’m too inclined to read and comment. I don’t multitask (actually people don’t multitask – they context switch) and find it difficult to recover what I’ve been doing.
It should be noted that my style of contact is probably different from the norm. I mostly work with very small groups on projects and have a small group of people I keep in contact with on a daily basis. I’m very happy with a combination of sms, email, phone, a bit of video and subethaedit for most of my communication needs. That will undoubtedly change with time, but my concentration and attention are too important to me these days. What I would really like is more face to face communication with the people I work and play with – but so many are remote.
I try to reserve at least an hour a day for quiet reading – one of the real joys of my life.
Agreed with Steve on how you have to give yourself the time to read a good book. everyday if possible.
Also agree with Steve on how one shouldn’t follow too many people on Twitter (unlike someone I am very fond of. wink ^^ ) Indeed, the updates become so numerous you can’t keep up with the stuff.
It is the same with blogs. If you read over a hundred ones, it’s soo time consuming you can’t do anything else I guess.
Nonetheless, to me, there are so many great ways to spend time: outside, with friends, and so on.
Internet is to me the defining invention of this early century (even if it was created before, but too few people used it then) as well as digital stuff and photography.
The big problem: it is like with any Human invention: a good dose and it acts as a medicine, too much of it and it’s poison. (works with TV, food, alcohol…)
To get back to reading: you got to find books that are more interesting to you than blogs.
Good luck Marguerite. Take care, enjoy and have a great weekend all ! 🙂
Marguerite –
Perhaps it could become an exercise in discipline or self-improvement. That’s what I always do with something that makes me anxious 🙂
Reading books is still a fantastic way to get information (and just think, much of that information has been toiled over for months and is likely very solid and well-researched!).
I’ve had the same sort of feelings about books recently (for pretty much the same reasons!) and I sat down and made myself read, and the enjoyment came back.
Just a thought. Good luck!
Kate
Steve, Edouard, Kate, thanks all for inspiring me. You are all so wise . . . For me, the challenge is how to balance my need for other activiites (including reading yes) and my professional interest in social media. I see Twitter as a huge experiment, and myself as a voluntary subject.
You’re welcome, it’s always a pleasure to read you and if I can help I gladly do so 🙂
The other thing that makes me read is to escape the routine, the bad news…
I think another reason why I read less books is that I read more magazines about science, sustainable development and so on.
that’s a big problem and cheap subscriptions don’t make much for stopping me from reading. 🙂
Enjoy !
“I see Twitter as a huge experiment, and myself as a voluntary subject.”
You’re a kind of masochistic type, are you? 😉
This really made me laugh.
And then also your Dreamfish network on top of that, my my. What a lot of changes, in what, a year?
My opinion on books is slowly changing I think. At some point, I think it’s better to surround yourself with well-read (and continually reading) people than keep reading yourself. Your network can filter what’s important for you. Books contain so much duplicate information, to make it readable to the layman.
But I do think you really need to ensure that you have all relevant subject areas covered. If you don’t have experts advising you on one topic, you should read yourself. Either blogs or books.
I think you have to read and learn for yourself. The information filtered through others is often superficial and you can’t appreciate the depth. When you have depth you can surround yourself with others of depth and make real progress.
On new social technologies … I fall prey to using some of them and then discover they don’t work with how I operate as a person (this doesn’t mean they won’t work for someone else). When I was 17 I had a job in my town’s best ice cream shop during a very hot Summer. The owner had the right idea – he let all of us sample as much as we wanted. After four or five days I was so sick of eating too much good ice cream that I went back to a more moderate approach. Moderation is a key with so many behaviors.
M, for me there is nothing like becoming absorbed in a great book! Omnivore’s Dilemma changed my life. I agree though that I often check out an article or review of the book first to see if I want to commit the time to it . I have little patience for books that are one idea and 300 pages of filler. Right now at my level of engagement with it, Twitter still appeals to the insecure high school girl in me that doesn’t want to miss out on what everyone is talking about — fascinating, informative and lots of fun. While a good book is like a deep breath….
Thanks for sharing, Marguerite. I’m smiling and laughing. Reading is a long-term commitment. I think we are attuning our wiring to a thirty-second culture. I’m learning to police how much time I spend on the internet. Just as we have some people who gleefully declare not owning a TV, perhaps the computer will be next to put away… ??
Steve has a point.
Maybe you should start by asking for book recommendations from people who know you. Personal recommendations from well informed people can work really well, at least as a start.
Ask your blog readership. 🙂
ok, ok, I got it . . . 🙂
Thanks all for your wisdom!
And Shireen, come back soon. Can’t wait to see your new movie!