Reading versus Watching

Have you ever felt like you’re glued to your mobile screen? Have you repeatedly forgotten to reply to texts or emails? Are you one of those people who’ve opened several tabs all at once and are switching between different social media sites with the speed of light? Do books remain unopened and unread in your book rack? Although there is reason to be alarmed at our collective forgetfulness and obsession with the online world, be comforted at discovering the antidote to this inundation of the online and the visual: reading. Yes, the plain old activity of holding books (and now tabs) in hands and absorbing the written word can do magic in improving memory and focus.

In today’s fast paced life, the visual medium is taking over the culture of reading. Many people who used to read books cannot find time to read any more. Many non- readers and readers alike prefer to watch a series instead of reading a novel. Reading or watching can be a personal choice or a necessity due to circumstances. Plenty of research has been conducted to investigate which is better: the reading platform or the visual media. While there are advantages of both media, reading is the superior of the two.

Reading a book or newspaper and watching a movie or series are different yet similar activities. They are different because the former involves visual perception of black words written on a white page, whereas the latter uses both visual and auditory perceptions. The activities are similar in using areas of the brain involved in understanding and retention. But they use the areas of the brain to different degrees. A research on “Why Should Reading (Books) be Preferable to Watching (Television)? “examined the link between narrative comprehension and cognitive processes like generation, manipulation and maintenance. It was found that reading allows the readers to imagine more freely than watching the visual medium. This shows that reading is more beneficial in exercising the mental muscle. It poses more of a challenge to train one’s mental abilities.

Reading and watching also have different impacts on memory retention. Another research by Cornerstone Minnesota State University explored the varying effects of the written word and the visual medium on one’s memory. The study’s experiment was conducted on 120 students. They were divided into four groups. Each group was shown the same news item in different formats. The group that saw the news item on TV scored the lowest on the memory test. The three groups that read the news item on screen, in broadcast print and in standard journalistic print scored first, second and third respectively. Since those who read on the computer scored the best in the experiment, this leads to an interesting co-relation between reading in print and reading on a computer.

Research has also tried to understand whether reading in print is better than reading on a computer. Different studies suggest different results. One study on “Do students lose depth in digital reading? “was conducted on 429 university students. Some preferred books for aesthetic feelings and lesser strain on eyes while others favoured digital reading for being able to read in the dark, having access to more material, quick reading and not using paper. Other studies have found that students who read from print did better in comprehension tests than those who read on-screen. Another research, “Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Impact of the Internet on Reading Behaviour”, differentiated between online reading and offline reading. It found that online reading while connected to the internet lowered respondents’ attention, concentration, comprehension and absorption than reading paper-based material or reading downloaded items while disconnected from the internet. So, it can be concluded that while there are benefits of digital reading, it is not as fruitful as reading in print medium.

These studies reveal that reading is definitely better than watching. However, one cannot wholly reject the visual media either. So, it should be learnt to use both media in a balanced way. When one needs to understand any topic in- depth, it should be read, preferably offline. This will lead to better focus and memory retention. On the other hand, skimming and scanning can be done for deriving superficial information in online and digital reading. The visual media like documentaries or movies can be used for quick understanding of background information on any topic before actually beginning to read it in-depth.

Today’s students and teachers both need to learn to use visual aids, paper- based and digital reading materials effectively for increased learning. The challenge is to prioritize reading over watching, minimize lack of concentration and attention in an already busy routine and improve comprehension and retention of what one has read. The human mind is the most sophisticated machine in existence. It can be trained to behave in a specific way. The brain can be given adequate practice of concentrated reading offline or in print to learn to focus on one task. Likewise, it can be taught to multitask by training it to sift through a plethora of information in the online environment. The task, then, is to be adaptive in one’s daily routines, choosing to stay focused or multitask whenever either is required of one.

P.S: Go buy the print version of this magazine!