Creative little sausages

Graeme Paton in The Telegraph:

The study said that “technology-based materials dominate as reading choices”, with text messages being named as the most popular form of reading material for children of all ages, followed by emails and social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo.

Wait. A text message is considered a ‘reading choice’, these days? Really? You’re serious? I had no idea.

So when my wife gets in touch to ask me if we need any teabags from the supermarket, I’m supposed to weigh up my options. ‘Hang on, shall I check this text message or should I get stuck into some Dostoyevsky?’

Honestly. The world’s gone mad.

Children (and adults, for that matter) aren’t ‘reading’ texts and social media instead of proper books. Technology isn’t the catalyst for some kind of intellectual apocalypse. People are just doing their thing. We are learning and communicating in ways that we’ve never been able to before.

I’m tired of all the doom and gloom.

The book is alive and well. Social media is liberating millions all over the world. And the kids of the future are going to be the brightest, most creative little sausages imaginable.