All our information tends to be online nowadays, with far fewer people using in-person services such as borrowing books from the library or clothes shopping in a physical store. Our pace of life has increased so much so that many people, including myself, tend to avoid interacting with the physical world, purely for the comfort of being able to book a train or buy a pair of shoes from your home or bed. I do not feel I am alone in this though, as according to The Independent, the average internet user now spends 6 hours and 35 minutes online per day.
For me, the pleasure of a book is to have a singular focus, uninterrupted by emails or reminders, which forces me to imagine myself somewhere else entirely, in someone else’s physical world and away from technology. Research has shown that reading has also been linked to stronger brain health in old age, higher levels of empathy, and a reduction in anxiety, so if you haven’t picked up a book in a while now may be the time.
At its heart though, I believe literature has a social and historical relevance that just isn’t currently matched by movies or TV. To create a piece of mainstream media like a Netflix series or Blockbuster movie requires an average minimum budget of £ 1million, while a book can be printed for as little as £500. Therefore the level of diversity in literature that is readily available in your local Waterstones would far surpass that of a mainstream streaming platform.
In essence, I believe that wherever you come from and whoever you are, you will always be able to find yourself in a book, and to know that someone somewhere has been through what you’re going through is incredibly important. To have the opportunity to discover that people like yourself have always existed is valuable in fortifying your own beliefs, and in taking comfort knowing there are others like you out there. For the time being at least, aside from its obvious mental health benefits, I believe literature rather than mainstream media is the clearest way to gain a holistic view of your own and others’ social and cultural backgrounds. So, as I say, if you tend to reach for a laptop rather than a book, I hope this is a reminder to pick up a novel and give it another try.
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.”
―James Baldwin