Sadly, it may well be that books go the way of vinyl records (I fear books are going the way of vinyl records – a rarefied pursuit for hobbyists, 6 August). For my generation – I am 15 – books are seen as an elitist, solitary pursuit, incomparable with social media.
Books don’t know that you liked and shared a passage with a friend. Books can’t predict what genre will stimulate you that day. Books can’t monitor how fast you devoured a story and swiftly feed you similar content. Books are not algorithms. However, books are far more rewarding than any social media could be. The only way for young readers to begin a rewarding journey through literature is for them to read anything and everything they wish to, regardless of what adults, the school curriculum or journalists tell them is “good” for them. This may mean that 17-year-olds are reading Donaldson and Blyton, or 12-year-olds are enjoying Camus and Kafka.
