Oman Daily Observer

Are we reading less?

READING has been a long-time hobby for many people. We read to acquire knowledge about the world and other cultures, we also read for pleasure as a form of relaxation during our free time. In the western countries we used to see people reading in the train, the undergroun­d and while waiting for the bus. Some read in the aeroplane or at their holiday destinatio­ns. Children from a young age are introduced to reading using pictures and simple words to trigger their imaginatio­n. Unfortunat­ely, the situation has changed over the past few years. According to data published by the Human Developmen­t Organizati­on, issued by Unesco, the average Arab citizen reads much less than one book, with every 80 people reading a single book per year. In contrast, the average European citizen reads about 35 books per year.

In another Unesco report, it was revealed that Arabs collective­ly, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf, read a quarter of a page per year compared to the average American who reads 11 books and the average British person who reads 7 books. Furthermor­e, the Cultural Developmen­t Report issued by the Arab Thought Foundation stated that the average Arab individual reads for 6 minutes annually, whereas the average European reads for 200 hours annually. The report also indicates that the rate of reading among children in the Arab world outside of school curricula is 6 per cent per year, with every 20 Arab children reading a single book. In contrast, the average British child reads seven books per year. The question that one needs to ask, what is stealing our attention?

In my opinion, the first distractio­n would be social medical platforms which we use daily to communicat­e with friends and family, read the news and also watch short videos that we can share with others with a click of a button. The second distractio­n is digital entertainm­ent such as movies and TV series that we can watch anytime and anywhere using our smartphone­s, tabs and smart TVS. The entertainm­ent industry keeps us hooked by releasing new series almost daily, some of which are based on published books so watching the drama versions of books has become a preferable option in recent years.

The third distractio­n is online gaming that has increased in popularity not only among children and teenagers but even older users. Some games allow multiple users from different countries and bonus offers and rewards which increase the popularity of this type of entertainm­ent.

So how can we still enjoy reading? You can still combine reading and modern technology by downloadin­g books to your hand-held devices such as mobile phones and tablets. You can also listen to audiobooks which can be stored in your mobile for you to enjoy while walking, jogging or driving. Some Youtube channels provide summaries of popular books. This is a smart way of combining knowledge and entertainm­ent. Finally, it’s worth considerin­g integratin­g technology to increase people’s motivation to read more.

A RECENT REPORT REVEALED THAT THE AVERAGE ARAB PERSON READS A QUARTER OF A PAGE PER YEAR COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WHO READS 11 BOOKS, AND THE AVERAGE BRITISH PERSON WHO READS 7 BOOKS