When was the last time you read a book? And what has the reading been replaced by? If the answer is from TV series, maybe then the researchers aren't completely wrong.
Haven't read a book in a long time and the one on your nightstand is full of dust? The fault could be the TV series, to establish it is a new study that attributes the blame for the shortage of readers to Netflix.
Let's do an experiment: when was the last time you read a book? And what has the reading been replaced by? If the answer is from TV series, maybe then the researchers aren't completely wrong. They clearly came to this conclusion by analyzing reading trends in Germany and thus discovering that fewer and fewer people are buying books.
Last year, only 44% of Germans over the age of 10, or 29,6 million people, bought a book. The number fell by nearly 18% between 2013 and 2017, and among people aged 20 to 50, the decline was even more severe (from 24% to 37%).
Among the main reasons for this inversion there would be precisely the increase in the vision of the TV series that today are easily found on Netflix. According to the team, turning on the television, tablet or smartphone and watching a series requires less effort and less mental effort than reading, but not only that, since now you either watch La casa de papel (just to name one) or you are out. from the round also the social pressing plays its part.
If your friends are following you, you try to catch up and be updated, then automatically your free time is in front of a screen.
“There is a need to constantly stay tuned in order not to be left behind. Life is already hectic and TV series help make it even more. Reading a book is a relaxing activity, a sort of break in everyday life ", he explains in the study. Alexander Skipis.
For the researchers, however, the study must be interpreted in the correct way, that is while fewer people buy books, those who continue this good practice buy more and more.
To give an example, the average reader bought 12 books last year, compared to 11 in 2013. The total amount spent increased from around € 117 to € 137.
So, if on the one hand the group of non-readers does not grow, those who resist read a lot. A similar evolution has been experienced with the entry of e-books: the numbers of customers have decreased, but the overall purchases per person have increased.
The solution? After an episode instead see another ... we could all read a few pages!
Read also:
- 10 books that change your life (and mind)
- 10 books to read more than once in a lifetime
Dominella Trunfio
