The Wikipedia link skipped the part about the trolls today, the ones who scroll and scroll and post disturbing comments. (Or did they write about it and I’ve missed it?)
An important topic indeed, Neena! I've got some pretty concrete ideas for how to stop people from constantly scrolling, but sharing them would probably get me banned from something.
I think reading books has all kinds of benefits, Neena, among which keeping children out of reformatory may well be one. Reading helps develop empathy, they say, and, anyway, while people see reading they are not committing crimes. The problem with this kind of question is inferring causation. Maybe fewer readers than non-readers commit crime, but maybe it’s not the reading that does it. Maybe the kinds if people who read are the kinds who don’t break the law anyway. But if I had to bet, I’d bet on books.
I once read a study, it was published by the Beeb as a news article…it was called Music of the mind. It looked at how music helped the child’s mind to develop in positive ways. I bet reading books has the same effect.
I’d love to know what reading books does for prisoners.
I'd be interested to know, too. I may look it up: our conversation has given me an idea for a future newsletter. The difficulty, again, is in establishing causation. Even if reading books did make prisoners better, nicer people, how could we tell? We'd be stuck with anecdotal evidence and observations from the library, neither of which tell us much. But I can't see reading would do a lot of harm. I think the work you are referring to is on the so-called Mozart Effect. It's a little controversial (for the same reasons) and doesn't seem to have much effect in the long term, as far as I remember, but, likewise, no on can imagine exposure to classical music at a young age having a negative effect, so it's certainly worth a try.
I don’t recall reading about the Mozart effect in the article. I’m now curious! The bbc article was talking about how studying and playing music help students to focus, helps in the development of their brains.
With all this scrolling going on, students sure need all the help they can get today. Books. Music.
Interesting if no serious study has ever been done on books and prisoners. I’m waiting to see what you discover.
You know, someone told me they’d read that the guy who invented “infinite scrolling” said that he wishes he never had. What he unwittingly unleashed is responsible for so much.
Anyway, I’m reading a book called The Measure. What about you?
I understand how he feels. I bet he didn’t imagine it could become an addiction though, I mean, who could? Still, we have to be responsible for our own actions and end the scrolling.
I’m a sloooow reader, I’ve been reading damascus nights by rafik schami for weeks. It’s part hilarious, part disturbing. When I get to a place where it’s going to upset me, I park it! 😩
When they stopped teaching cursive in schools, the education system quietly traded depth and patience for speed and skimming—and now, instead of nurturing sustained reading and critical thinking through books, we’re watching kids learn to scroll endlessly through feeds that rarely ask them to slow down or reflect.
To think that scrolls (Cambridge dictionary: “ a long roll of paper with writing on it, used especially in the past”) were the ancesters of books!
Great observation, Louis!! It’s given me an idea.
*ancester\ancestor
Reading and writing is the salvation to this kids.
I agree wholeheartedly, Jaqueline.
Scrolls...trolls. You just take away or add some letters and there you have it.
Books were ALWAYS available in my family home. And I was encouraged to use a dictionary, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll...
G’morning, Di, I’m off to check out the link…
The Wikipedia link skipped the part about the trolls today, the ones who scroll and scroll and post disturbing comments. (Or did they write about it and I’ve missed it?)
I don't think the current dictionary has caught up with this modern usage.But the old definition of a troll fits them!
Haha I was thinking the same, Di.
An important topic indeed, Neena! I've got some pretty concrete ideas for how to stop people from constantly scrolling, but sharing them would probably get me banned from something.
My imagination is running wild now, Jason. Hahaha.
By the way, as you write about crime…do you think reading books can help keep children from hopping on to the path of crime?
I think reading books has all kinds of benefits, Neena, among which keeping children out of reformatory may well be one. Reading helps develop empathy, they say, and, anyway, while people see reading they are not committing crimes. The problem with this kind of question is inferring causation. Maybe fewer readers than non-readers commit crime, but maybe it’s not the reading that does it. Maybe the kinds if people who read are the kinds who don’t break the law anyway. But if I had to bet, I’d bet on books.
I much prefer to bet on books too, Jason.
I once read a study, it was published by the Beeb as a news article…it was called Music of the mind. It looked at how music helped the child’s mind to develop in positive ways. I bet reading books has the same effect.
I’d love to know what reading books does for prisoners.
I'd be interested to know, too. I may look it up: our conversation has given me an idea for a future newsletter. The difficulty, again, is in establishing causation. Even if reading books did make prisoners better, nicer people, how could we tell? We'd be stuck with anecdotal evidence and observations from the library, neither of which tell us much. But I can't see reading would do a lot of harm. I think the work you are referring to is on the so-called Mozart Effect. It's a little controversial (for the same reasons) and doesn't seem to have much effect in the long term, as far as I remember, but, likewise, no on can imagine exposure to classical music at a young age having a negative effect, so it's certainly worth a try.
I don’t recall reading about the Mozart effect in the article. I’m now curious! The bbc article was talking about how studying and playing music help students to focus, helps in the development of their brains.
With all this scrolling going on, students sure need all the help they can get today. Books. Music.
Interesting if no serious study has ever been done on books and prisoners. I’m waiting to see what you discover.
You know, someone told me they’d read that the guy who invented “infinite scrolling” said that he wishes he never had. What he unwittingly unleashed is responsible for so much.
Anyway, I’m reading a book called The Measure. What about you?
I understand how he feels. I bet he didn’t imagine it could become an addiction though, I mean, who could? Still, we have to be responsible for our own actions and end the scrolling.
I’m a sloooow reader, I’ve been reading damascus nights by rafik schami for weeks. It’s part hilarious, part disturbing. When I get to a place where it’s going to upset me, I park it! 😩
When they stopped teaching cursive in schools, the education system quietly traded depth and patience for speed and skimming—and now, instead of nurturing sustained reading and critical thinking through books, we’re watching kids learn to scroll endlessly through feeds that rarely ask them to slow down or reflect.
Sad to say, the parents are scrolling endlessly too, Lynda. And are buying the technology for the little ones.
Writers have to start pushing book love using different methods.
I’d love to see how it’s working out for Australia…they’ve banned young people from being online…something like that.