The Future of Reading

Between smartphones, tablets, desktops, and print, text comes to us through more channels than ever. But digital media seem to be changing how and why we read, a conundrum that Maryanne Wolf, a researcher of reading and language at UCLA, explores in her new book, Reader, Come Home. If our ability to read deeply is further disrupted, she argues, some of the most critical strengths of the reading mind may be at risk.

How do you define "deep reading"?

To think about how the base meaning of the words is part of a larger set of meanings, you bring your background knowledge to bear on the text and pull together different cognitive and affective processes. When we read some words attributed to Hemingway—"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."—a picture of baby shoes with little shoelaces appears in our minds. We make a gut-wrenching inference: Likely, the baby wasn't born. We're making an empathic move. These are deep reading processes.

Why does it matter which medium we use?

Deep reading takes time. Digital media encourage us to get as much information as we can, as fast as we can, often while multitasking. When we spend six to 12 hours a day reading on screens, we develop a tendency to read quickly and superficially. A book literally slows us down—we have to turn the pages—and encourages us to go back and reread. The words have more permanence.

What are the broader implications of the way we read?

When you are bombarded by as much information as we are, you end up using sources that don't challenge you, that are reduced in complexity and density, and you read them quickly. You become a less critically analytical person, which makes you more vulnerable to fake news. When it comes to our democracy and how we pick our leaders, we may be handicapped by a failure to give sufficient attention to multiple viewpoints and complex arguments. We have a responsibility to be good readers.

Given that digital media are here to stay, What should we keep in mind when reading?

It's not just about speeding through to be finished with a chapter, but about the immersion, the ability to experience it fully. And take care to critically analyze the words of any book. I'm not saying we should not use screens. I'm saying, whatever purpose you have while reading, be very aware of that purpose.