Some of my coworkers have really surprised me lately, because some of them don’t think that books are a viable part of our culture, and some watch no television. Some others don’t read newspapers at all.
If I wore pearls, I’d be clutching them now. I read six magazines, two newspapers and watch the evening news and Jeopardy!
I’m clutching my pearls of wisdom: my books, newspapers, magazines and Alex Trebek (symbolically).
A society in which communication is whittled down to a select few bits of information often becomes repressed. Think of what the world was like before the scriptures were translated and people who were taught no Latin suddenly achieved a new understanding of their faith. They may not have been able to actually read it, but it made sense to them spoken in their own tongue.
I have found that online information comes through homepage sources like MSN, AOL and Yahoo, or in a post somebody felt was important enough to put in Facebook®. An actual newscast or newspaper, however, has a wealth of information in tangible form. It won’t get lost in your spam box or disappear into your timeline. It is seen in a way in which we don’t often connect on a computer screen.
I look at news anchors like Scott Pelley from CBS and admire their capacity for making news human. The days of the town crier are over, but a person delivering news vocally will likely never go away.
As for books, I keep them, and sometimes I also keep one on my Nook® to carry with me. It’s like an oversized paperback, plus I can get my email without toting a laptop or tablet around.
I hope reading and speaking do not become obsolete. Human contact is essential to our health and that of the planet.
Susan's Scribblings the Blog 