Swipe. Double tap. Scroll. Short-form media, designed to be stimulating and effortless to watch, dominates our lives. Viewers spend hours staring at their phones, absentmindedly listening to influencers on social media platforms bombard them with information at rapid speeds.
In contrast to the constant scrolling of digital media, reading offers an opportunity for sustained attention, inviting people to actively reflect about literature and the ideas it presents. But reading for pleasure is slowly declining. In the U.S., the percentage of people who read in their free time peaked at 28% in 2004 and gradually decreased to only 16% in 2023. Among teens, under 20% read a book daily, while over 80% use social media every day.
Book Blog president and editor-in-chief Urvi Singhvi (11) stresses the importance of reading for leisure over passively absorbing content through a phone screen.
“You don’t really get to think about short-form content,” Urvi said. “On the other hand, reading a book, just like watching a longer video or movie, requires you to think about what the intent of the information really is.”
With modern digital culture taking over daily routines, English teacher Tia Barth warns against consuming content through only online media.
“It gives us a much more narrow experience,” Barth said. “It doesn’t open us up to as many perspectives and ways of experiencing the world. It can limit our own ability to imagine, which is such a big part of what connects people. If you can’t imagine what somebody else’s life is like, you’re not as empathetic, you don’t have as much connection with others.”
Urvi’s love for literature started when her mom read to her when she was a child, an interest that motivated her to join Harker’s Book Blog. Now, Urvi hopes to spark excitement about pleasure reading through publishing book reviews and hosting book swaps.
“Our mission is to encourage outside of school reading and literacy in our community,” Urvi said. “Whats really awesome is that the club isn’t limited to a specific genre. You can talk about whatever you want, and it encourages outside-of-school reading and literacy.”
Barth also hopes to inspire students to enjoy literature through required books in English class. She expressed joy in seeing her Honors English 3 students’ interest in The Great Gatsby.
“We started off by reading chapter one, one night, chapter two, the next night,” Barth said. “But now, we’re well into the book, and things are happening really fast. So many of [my students] are coming and saying, ‘Sorry, I read ahead.’ They stuck with it long enough that they’re invested, and they care. They want to read ahead because it’s pleasurable to know where the story’s going, and they want to do it as opposed to they have to do it.”
On social media, there are certain communities dedicated to book-related content, such as “booktok” and “bookstagram.” Kristiyan Kurtev (11) explained how though these videos can encourage people to read more, they often are shallow and don’t invite viewers to process meaningful information.
“Booktok is a great first step in drawing people in who don’t read in general,” Kristiyan said. “But after people start engaging more with literature and finding their passion for reading, I don’t think they should linger on Booktok and just get all their recommendations from it. Booktok gets people excited about reading, but then people can transition into something more serious.”
For Urvi, the reflective process of reading for leisure allows her to form genuine, authentic connections with other book lovers on campus.
“Book Blog is one of the strongest communities I found as a reader,” Urvi said. “It’s a place to discuss literature and be curious about what other people are reading, even if their genres are completely different from yours. Pleasure reading is something invaluable, because it teaches you a lot about the world around you and about how people perceive that world.”