Summary: In today’s podcast, Jason and Kevin wade through the digital shallows and talk about the science of reading. What does it mean to be bi-literate? Is skimming a “worse” type of reading than deep, “serious” reading? We explore the arguments made in a Washington Post article by Michael Rosenwald: “Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say”. We also discuss the neuroscience of reading mentioned in the article and in the book, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf. Some more reading: "10 Things Emerging Writers Need To Learn" by Michael Nye "How Shavian is the Pygmalion We Teach?" by Robert Harvey (JSTOR article; requires subscription) If you want to read what we think about this topic, check out some previous Critical Margins articles about reading in the digital age: “In the Ideal World, Digital Social Reading Would Rule on E-Readers” by Kevin Eagan “Going Digital Doesn’t Affect Reading Comprehension (Study)” by Kevin Eagan “Authors Unbound: The Rise of the Maker Author” by Jason Braun Don’t forget: you can subscribe to the Critical Margins podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud.
