Students who are not fond of reading should know that reading can be just as entertaining, if not more thrilling, as tweeting their life away. Believe it or not, possessing a broad range of books, and reading them widely can actually help students become the creator of the social networks they often spend (too many) hours a day on—instead of being that dull student who confides in these mediums when there is “nothing better to do.”
Students are exceedingly caught up with counting each day down until they reach X amount of followers on Twitter when they could better use their time by reading comprehensively (although I do often find myself wanting more followers, too; for I am stuck on 527). Of course it is cool to socialize, but the problem is students are lacking vital qualities simply by not reading more often than they socialize. This is one of many sets of problems that affect the younger generation—our priorities are wrong.
In this day and age, reading is still fundamental toward developing, understanding, and accepting ourselves. Yet most students I have come across have not gotten the memo. In a college setting, one would think that students fill their day with eating breakfast before heading off to their professor’s next lecture, enjoying some free time with friends after class, and most importantly, spending time in the school library to study or read for leisure. But too often I find students not doing the latter. Why are not students enjoying the benefits of reading anymore, let alone reading, period?
The answer to this troubling trivia is that social networks are overriding students’ brains and causing them to become lackluster zombies looking for a quick profit. Well, maybe it is not that dramatic, but the deficiency of reading among students is a troubling concern that should be addressed.
Students I know are either not grasping the proper material needed to successfully pass, and understand a course, or simply content with barely getting by. Certainly students’ know that the benefits of reading greatly outweigh the benefits of a sought after “Re-Tweet” on Twitter, or the pleasure one get from someone liking their relationship status on Facebook. But then again, maybe they do not.
The benefits of reading are quite remarkable, to say the least. In fact, I believe that obtaining free knowledge should be a crime, since it is free! Who in their right mind can object to that? There is nothing equivalent to gaining free knowledge, other than gaining power, which is overrated. I have found that reading comprehensively has affected every facet of my life and I have come to a better understanding of myself and my interests.
It is widely known that those who read have better skills than those who do not. Higher intelligence, general knowledge, as well as higher GPAs are all effects of reading comprehensively. I also found that reading for pleasure greatly reduces stress. Locking myself in that awesome fictional universe always causes me to be compelled by the story’s characters, setting, and theme, and away from reality and the problems within it.
By no means am I suggesting social media should be exterminated because of its negative association among college students. Social media helps students network with more experienced people from their respected fields of study, it keeps students in contact with old, lost friends and family members, and it can also further create students’ imagination, which is better than knowledge itself. The problem is students are more aware about celebrities and their programmed television lives and less aware about themselves which is a troubling concern that needs further attention.
For me, reading is a way out. It is like a magical journey to escape pain, misery, annoying family members, and that one friend who lacks public decency. Reading is also a source of personal power—anyone can hold his ground against someone who tries to challenge him intellectually, and he can use that knowledge to uplift others as they climb, since people often look up to those who have a great deal of knowledge; i.e. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, or the late Malcolm X.
Reading helps people discover themselves, their passions, and their determination to be successful. Surely rapper Lil John was serious at one point during a song when he says, “Read a book! Read a book! Read a [expletive] book!” After all, no one has ever died from having too much knowledge.
