How Do Young People Concentrate on Reading in the “Screen Age”?

In early December, the Second Shenzhen Book Fair was held. Despite negative factors such as the pandemic and E-commerce, the fair fulfilled a sales volume of over 20 million yuan, becoming the longest, and best-selling city book fair in China in 2020. In fact, for 29 years, Shenzhen has maintained the highest book sales nationwide. Reading has also been viewed as a key component for shaping the innovative cultural atmosphere of the city.

What is the current situation of reading amongst young people then, and how should we approach reading in the current age? During the Shenzhen Book Fair, Jiang Fangzhou and Huang Deng provided insights from the perspectives of a writer and an educator respectively.

The Impact of New Media on Traditional Reading

"Nowadays, college students generally lack in-depth reading and classical reading, most of their reading is fragmented,” commented Professor Huang Deng from the Humanities Department at Shenzhen Polytechnic. According to a recent survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 83% of university students spend their time browsing short videos, of whom 65% are highly addicted, and 34% are moderately addicted.

"In the literature course that I am teaching, for at least five to six years, students have never read classics like 'General History of China' or 'The History of Western Philosophy'. The number of students who have read 'Dream of the Red Chamber' is also decreasing. Most students cannot leave their cellphones and computers, social media is also distracting their attention. Even when they are reading digitally, the contents are mostly online novels or news." Huang Deng tells the reporter in a regretful tone: "I think the quality of reading has decreased for students."

Jiang Fangzhou has a similar feeling with regard to the current situation: "The problem is that while everyone knows reading is good, they are still more attracted by other forms of media." To Jiang, the concentration cost of reading has increased, since it requires self-discipline and a good reading habit. In addition, media platforms promote entertainment-related contents much more than books, which causes books unable to compete with screens in the "fight for attention".

Individuals and the City both Need Nourishments from Reading

Huang Deng believes that deep reading can expand the width and depth of young people's lives, which is extremely important for their personal growth. "Without these kinds of nourishment, an individual's understanding of the world will be simple and crude." "Reading helped me change my views on humanity and on the world, where the world views created by books are not black and white, there are more complex and wonderful elements. This enhanced my understanding and observation of the world,” said Jiang Fangzhou.

"The reason that Shenzhen has built its spiritual temperament today, that it is called the city of innovation, is deeply related with reading." Huang pointed out that reading can help citizens become more rational, improve their thinking abilities as well as their innovative thinking. "This is why Shenzhen continues to attract more talents and maintain its innovative impetus."

Advocate Reading, But Avoid "Utilitarian Reading"

At present, reading has been accepted broadly as the most convenient shortcut helping one to gain knowledge and experience, and to alleviate one's personal worries and confusions. Then how can we encourage young people to read more and to enjoy reading? Jiang Fangzhou provided suggestions from both a personal level and a city level. She thinks that national reading-promotion activities are going very well, such as Shenzhen's reading month. This brings many writers face-to-face to their readers, and such direct communication can bring readers closer to books and increase their interest in reading.

Huang Deng, on the other hand, offered some advices from the perspective of an educator. She believes that there are many external interventions that distract people from reading. The fear of being left behind at the starting line, and the preparations for graduation and for job hunting have reduced the time students have for reading. Schools and parents should leave some free time for students to arrange independently, "they should be provided with room where they can seek their own directions to grow."

Contributed by Guangming Daily reporters Dang Wenting, Yan Shenghe

Translated by Zhang Junye