Is Reading Necessary, Easy, and Fun? Sure
August 25, 2025
No AI. Just a dinobaby working the old-fashioned way.
The GenAI service person answered my questions this way:
- Is reading necessary? Answer: Not really
- Is reading easy? No, not for me
- Is reading fun? For me, no.
Was I shocked? No. I almost understand. Note: I said “almost.” The idea that the mental involvement associated with reading is, for my same of one, is not on the radar.
“Reading for Pleasure in Freefall: Research Finds 40% Drop Over Two Decades” presents information that caught my attention for two reasons:
- The decline appears to be gradual; that is, freefall. The time period in terms of my dinobaby years is wildly inaccurate.
- The inclusion of a fat round number like 40 percent strikes me as understatement
On what basis do I make these two observations about the headline? I have what I call a Barnes & Noble toy ratio. A bookstore is now filled with toys, knick-knacks and Temu-type products. That’s it. Book stores are tough to find. When one does locate a book store, it often is a toy store.
The write up is much more scientific than my toy algorithm. I noted this passage from a study conducted by two universities I view as anchors of opposite ends of the academic spectrum: The University of Florida and University College London. Here’s the passage:
the study analyzed data from over 236,000 Americans who participated in the American Time Use Survey between 2003 and 2023. The findings suggest a fundamental cultural shift: fewer people are carving out time in their day to read for enjoyment. This is not just a small dip—it’s a sustained, steady decline of about 3% per year…
I don’t want to be someone who criticizes the analysis of two esteemed institutions. I would suggest that the decrease is going to take much less time than a couple of centuries if the three percent erosion continues. I acknowledge that in the US print book sales in 2024 reached about 700 million (depending on whom one believes), an increase of over 2023. These data do not reflect books generated by smart software.
But book sales does not mean more people are reading material that requires attention. Old people read more books than a grade school student or a young person who is not in what a dinobaby would call a school. Hats off to the missionary who teaches one young person in a tough spot to read and provides the individual with access to books.
I want to acknowledge this statement in the write up:
The researchers also noted some more promising findings, including that reading with children did not change over the last 20 years. However, reading with children was a lot less common than reading for pleasure, which is concerning given that this activity is tied to early literacy development, academic success and family bonding….
I interpreted the two stellar institutions as mostly getting at these points:
- Some people read and read voraciously. Pleasure or psychological problem? Who knows. It happens.
- Many people don’t value books, don’t read books, and won’t by choice or mental set up can’t read books.
- The distractions of just existing today make reading a lower priority for some than other considerations; for example, not getting hit by a kinetic in a war zone, watching TikTok, creating YouTube videos about big thoughts, a mobile phone, etc.
Let’s go back to the book store and toys. The existence of toys in a book store make clear that selling books is a very tough business. To stay open, Temu-type stuff has to be pushed. If reading were “fun,” the book stores would be as plentiful as unsold bourbon in Kentucky.
Net net: We have reached a point at which the number of readers is a equivalent to the count of snow leopards. Reading for fun marks an individual as one at risk of becoming a fur coat.
Stephen E Arnold, August 29, 2025
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