The New York Times put out a pretty popular article debating whether or not reading online can actually constitute reading.  Well, reading is reading, isn’t it?  I obviously read that article online.  Does it mean that it wasn’t “worthwhile” or up to par with those that think learning can only come from “good books”?  Does the fact that more and more people turn to the internet to get their news mean they’re somehow dumber than those that get print ink on their fingers?  Or is the only way to really learn is to feel the weight of a book in your hands?

Of course, the article focuses on sites like fanfiction.net to counter the “reading is reading” argument, of which many stories make the English language twitch at how it’s portrayed.  Yeah, you’re sitting on your butt in front of a computer for hours reading stream-of-consciousness Mary Sue-isms.  But you’re reading.  A lot of what’s written on sites like fanfiction.net are not grammatically correct but neither are most people when they speak.  Does it mean we should all walk around talking in a stilted language in order to prove that we’re not lacking in gray matter?  I read stories on fanfiction.net.  Does it mean my test scores might suffer?

I didn’t grow up with the internet.  I had a slew of books at my disposal and still do.  Too many to fit on the shelves that are way too small for them.  I love books and nothing beats curling up on the couch and reading.  Can’t do that with a laptop.  But lets face it, Nora Roberts isn’t exactly John Steinbeck, now is she?  Is her work somehow better than a piece online because it’s in tangible, sniffable book form?  Is it not possible to find work that’s just as good online as you can buy in a brick and mortar store?  Maybe even better?

I think the problem a lot of people have with internet reading is that it’s completely unadulterated (well, most of it).  It doesn’t see the eyes of an editor and is printed in all it’s flawed glory.  I think people fear that, because that’s what people are reading instead of the finely tuned scripts that are chosen and bound by publishers, that younger generations are going to lack the intelligence and reading and writing comprehension because their learning from sources that they “shouldn’t” be learning from.  How dare we let those young ‘uns out into the world to learn for themselves, right?

more…