Dying Books: It is said that a good book can change your life. But now times have changed. Today’s generation is more interested in listening to audiobooks and pressing buttons on the remote than turning the pages of books. This change has not only become a part of habits but also a part of our lifestyle.
Growing craze of audiobooks
Audiobooks have increased their popularity tremendously in the last few years. According to a report, the global market value of the audiobook industry is expected to exceed $5 billion in 2023. People are now preferring to ‘listen’ to books while travelling, working out, or doing household chores.
Neha, 30, a resident of Mumbai, says, “I used to find it difficult to read a book in the metro while coming home from office. Now I listen to audiobooks. It has become easier to finish a story.”
Have TV shows taken away the habit of reading?
Meanwhile, “prestige television”, i.e. high-quality web and TV series, has also influenced people’s reading habits. The content available on platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ has created a new kind of competition. Ritesh Verma of Ghaziabad says, “Earlier I used to find time to read books on weekends, but now it is easier to binge-watch series. Seems like.”
So are books dying?
However, it is also important to reject the idea of books dying. There is still demand for new books at bookstores around the world. Books by Indian writers like Chetan Bhagat and Twinkle Khanna remain in the bestseller lists. But it can definitely be said that now the methods of reading have changed.
New times, new priorities
Experts believe that this change is the result of our rapidly changing life and decreasing ability to focus. Everyone is short on time, and audiobooks or TV shows are a great way to fill it.
So, the question is, are we going?
Because the job is to reach our destination, even if the path changes. Whether you read a book, listen to an audiobook, or watch a TV show—what’s important is that you stay connected to the stories. After all, stories are what make us human.
Nazneen