REPORT: To read or not to read? How to support young adults reading in the midst of a digital revolution

The digital revolution is relentless in its drive for change and in its various forms have been with us for some time. It is fair to say that Marshall McLuhan was all too aware of its impact on the shape of our everyday lives when he published his renowned book, Understanding Media. The Extensions of Man in 1964. In his book he creates a continuum of existing media, claiming that ‘colder’ media, such as written text on paper, require the viewer to actively complete them, while ‘hotter’ media engage multiple senses and minimise the involvement of the imagination.

McLuhan did not pass judgement on the positive or negative impact of ‘hotter media’ on social life, but he did regard television with some suspicion, finding it an excellent tool for political propaganda. Sixty years later, we have no doubt that the changes associated with technological advancement and the phenomena that accompany it should be sought not only in private, but also in professional and social life. We cannot speak of changes at the genetic level, because even the neurological development associated with widespread access to new media is different today.

So what do we make of the fact that young people are not reading in depth? Although we constantly talk about revolutionising all aspects of people’s lives, we tend to fall back on the same arguments when it comes to reading. As one of our experts points out, television has not replaced the theatre, and film has not managed to close libraries. So we propose that the digital revolution should be the lens through which we examine contemporary reading practices. In doing so, we examine not only what young people in Warsaw read today, but more importantly, how they read.

We conducted 10 expert interviews with people whose work involves reading from different perspectives, as well as 5 focus group interviews with people who work in libraries, primary and secondary schools. What emerges from the interviews is the importance of reading for finding those longed-for moments of concentration or for developing interpretive and critical skills. The research process has shown that promoting reading is not just about helping young people acquire reading skills. Reading in the age of the digital revolution is a social project, an entry into the world of culture or, more precisely, multiple cultures, a search for relationships, community and conversation. To do this, we need to build and strengthen the foundations of this project together, by supporting young readers, supporting adults and… continuing to research reading practices.

To read more, download the report.