Social Reading: In search of juice
Social Reading: In search of juice
Reshared post from +Gideon Rosenblatt
On "Social Reading"How often do you find yourself half reading something, getting through it as quickly as possible so you can find the juicy tidbits that you can clip for your post here on Google+ or on Twitter or Facebook? This is reading as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. This is the dark side of the shared interest graph; the part that accelerates the flow of content beyond our ability to pay real attention to it.
I've been thinking about this problem over this last week, when, on vacation, I had web access only via an iPad and my Android phone. I was able to read articles on the web, but sharing them in a rich way was much less convenient than on my Mac.
This was when I really noticed it, this little pang inside, this desire to share what I was reading…to share it before I'd even fully digested it myself.
And this gets me to an interesting interview with +Clay Shirky, where he talks about the future of books and the future of reading. I encourage you to read it yourself:
http://blog.findings.com/post/20527246081/how-we-will-read-clay-shirkyClay is talking about a lot of interesting ideas here, but the one I want to riff off of here is the focus on "social reading":
“Social reading,” the way I’ve always interpreted the phrase, is reading that recognizes that you’re not just a consumer, you’re a user. You’re going to do something with this, and that something is going to involve a group of other people.
He notes that the Kindle Fire, with its improved annotation abilities, is changing the way we use books in this way. And so my riff here is that these kinds of capabilities are atomizing long-form content in ways that make it easier for us to share with others.
Think about it. We very frequently pull excerpts from articles we read, as part of our sharing process here on Google+. But how often do we do that with books?
The future of books is a future where this kind of content isolation will continue to break down more and more. As the traditional publishing industry loses more and more control, the tight grip over content will inevitably loosen. As a result, it will be easier and easier for us to grab pieces of long-form content (what we call books today) and share them with others…just as we do with articles, blog entries and posts here on Google+. We will share more and more excerpts from books…
The question this raises for me is – to what end? Already, I feel increasing pressure to read/skim articles with greater and greater efficiency, as part of the social media sharing frenzy. Books still have a special place for me. I read them more slowly, but that too may soon change as social reading creeps more fully into our consumption of books…
Interview with Clay Shirky found through link from +Thom Kennon.
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/celesterc/1069893367/
Absence defines presence, The Zen of Steve Jovb via Kevin Roberts #reading
Absence defines presence, The Zen of Steve Jovb via Kevin Roberts #reading
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KR Connect – Blog of Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi: Absence Defines Presence
Absence Defines Presence. Image source: Ben Stanfield. The Zen of Steve Jobs from the Wall Street Journal blogger Steve Yang offering insights into the genius Apple co-creator and CEO of the world'…
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@zn_moment comment just made my day…
…see the 10th comment – it’s a classic ‘soapbox’ reply!
Q. What is the character length on comments? 1000? @egoldstein
How Rollo Learned to Read ~ Jacob Abbott (1855)
Click the image to read on…
Is Collaboration a Crock? …reading
Who Else Wants to Take Training
An excellent article (interview) that I highly recommended reading for those trying to change workplace learning. Thumbs up Team Bloomfire 
The Socially Networked Student (Video) by Bill Kist
“…using social media in practical ways to enhance learning in their classes.”
The Joy of Reading… has anything really changed? (image, adapted)
Is Reading on Your Mobile Comparable to a Paper Book?
“A key feature of phones, which books don’t have, is connectivity.”
Although this may be a feature, it could also be seen as potentially negative. I think the age of the user, the amount of time they are already ‘plugged in’, the skimming and multi-tasking issue plus possible health side effects of using electronic devices for extended periods of time; it all needs to be carefully considered before widespread promotion and adoption… food for thought!
“If we want our youth to read, we need both.”
Don’t necessarily disagree with this, just want to see judgement, balance and management applied. The positive effects of reading a book need to be promoted ie. imagination, creativity etc, and not how great the technology is; it’s not about the tool is about the process.
It’s about reading, not paper vs pixels
In Nadine Gordimer advocates book over screen, the Mail & Guardian reports on a defense of the printed book against the onslaught of technology by the Nobel laureate and one of South Africa’s most distinguished literary figures. Below is my response.
I too love the form of a book, the weight and smell of it, the feeling of the paper. I would be devastated if books were to vanish, relegated to museums. But one can’t ignore the changes that are happening in the world, nor the advantages that new technology offers.
What our youth do have, however, are cellphones.
Through their comments, some of the readers have said that they don’t like reading books but that reading on their cellphones is fun and enjoyable.
While reading a book on one’s own is a very enjoyable pastime, a more social experience has huge potential
If we want our youth to read, we need both.Read more at m4lit.wordpress.com
Does the Internet Make You Smarter?
Interesting… “The response to distraction, then as now, was social structure. Reading is an unnatural act; we are no more evolved to read books than we are to use computers.”
Does the Internet Make You Smarter?
Amid the silly videos and spam are the roots of a new reading and writing culture, says Clay Shirky.
Does the Internet Make You Dumber?
Mick Coulas
The cognitive effects are measurable: We’re turning into shallow thinkers, says Nicholas Carr.
The response to distraction, then as now, was social structure. Reading is an unnatural act; we are no more evolved to read books than we are to use computers. Literate societies become literate by investing extraordinary resources, every year, training children to read. Now it’s our turn to figure out what response we need to shape our use of digital tools.
There is no easy way to get through a media revolution of this magnitude; the task before us now is to experiment with new ways of using a medium that is social, ubiquitous and cheap, a medium that changes the landscape by distributing freedom of the press and freedom of assembly as widely as freedom of speech.Read more at www.wallstreetjournal.com
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