Gone are the good old days, where we used to fight for newspapers, magazines and books. Times are changing and some of us are finding it hard to keep up. Most of us have even said goodbye to the habit of reading blogs and media websites, with the advent of social media providing instant gratification.
There is hope!
The state government has taken the initiative to preserve the love of reading through the Goa State Library and Librarian Award. Bookworm, who organise a mobile library in rural areas and Carlos Fernandes, curator of Krishnandas Shama Goa State Central Library, were the winners respectively for year 2014-15. This is a great initiative to reward and recognize individuals in Goa who are promoting the written word.
Why is our love of reading dying?
The answer lies in our lifestyle, the manner in which we consume information is drastically changing. In fact they have drastically changed over the last 5 years. Without a doubt social media has affected the manner in which we receive and share information. Re-blogging, re-tweeting and re-posting occur in our daily life. People in general like recommendations. The moment you re-post an article on facebook, the more likely your friends are going to read it. The situation is similar for most social media sites, for example the rise of Instagram as a medium of accessing information.
Social media has given the author the benefit of presenting information to viewers in the following ways:
- Articles
- Pictures
- Animation
- Audio
- Videos
As a result, many print media agencies have noticed the trend and have adapted to the golden era of the internet. There are different websites created to suit the varied internet users. For example, craft websites posting DIY videos, makeup tutorials on YouTube and tourism sites for the daring and adventurous.
Moral of the story is that people are always hungry for new and interesting ways to consume information. You have to find yourself and your audience!
