There is a silent genocide that has been going on for so many years-the killing of books by social media and smartphones. Ask any young person what his favourite book is, and you are likely to be met with silence. Books are in intensive care, and their future looks even more frightening. Artificial intelligence is likely to finish off the books if nothing is done to save them. Gone are the days when families would discuss books at the family table.
The family table has been replaced by the family WhatsApp group. Today is all about what is trending on social media. It quickly fades away, contributing little to society. Social media has turned the world into a comedy theatre.
Still, nothing is more enlightening than reading. Education can empower a man to live a better life. Only enlightenment can help a man become the best version of himself.
Books are too precious to die. A society that doesn’t read is doomed to create idiocracy.
Logical and well-informed people are still those who read. Some social media users are just ‘sociodiot.’ A ‘sociodiot’ can be someone who spends a lot of time on social media but is ill-informed and illogical. They can believe anything they see on social media and act recklessly.
Books matter, but why aren’t young people interested in reading, and how can we make it more appealing today?
Books seem to be dying, beginning with poetry. Its imagery, mythical figures, and perceived lack of moral lessons or emotion may limit its value for personal growth. Some poems are so difficult to follow that reading feels like emotional torture.
Everything has changed, but the literary industry remains stuck in the past, clinging to outdated, orthodox writing. This style uses poetic language and focuses heavily on character descriptions, appearances, thoughts, and settings, which is often boring and time-consuming. It results in long, waffle-like books where the core message could be summarised in a few sentences.
One day I remarked that ‘War and Peace’ by Leo Tolstoy was too big, and someone said, ‘That book is unnecessarily long, describing details like what the princess was wearing.’ They are right. Authors often describe characters’ hair, eyes, nails, or birds singing.
Social media shows people prefer exciting, straight-to-the-point content over unnecessary descriptions or character development. Unlike love-making, where more time is spent on foreplay, reading is quicker.
The publishing industry often misses market preferences. For instance, every publisher rejected Robert Kiyosaki’s ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’. Even renowned authors like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling faced rejection, yet their works gained massive public interest.
Literary critics fare worse, they misunderstand market demand, promoting outdated literature and unpopular authors. Most acclaimed authors write poetically or in orthodox styles.
The market favors Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’o because their writing is easier to follow, though Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Soyinka’s older, poetic, orthodox style can make reading emotionally taxing and difficult. His work is like a bumpy gravel road; Achebe’s and Ngugi’s, a paved road. Their writing also abounds in proverbs and parables.
The ‘God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize. The author writes in a poetic or traditional style. Reading her book is like reading a long poem. Her writing is part of the older literary tradition. Even Frantz Fanon and Bessie Head wrote in a poetic language.
The other day I was reading ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Márquez, widely regarded as one of the greatest books. But after reading the first four chapters, I got bored and felt duped. Four chapters, yet I still didn’t learn anything new. The writing is old literature.
If William Shakespeare were alive today, how many people would read his work? Is it still relevant, or is it a literary dinosaur?
The Bible rarely describes characters’ appearances, clothing, homes, or thoughts, focusing instead on the story. Yet after over two millennia, its stories, parables, and proverbs remain popular and engaging without character development. The Bible is more interesting because it contains parables and proverbs. Stories without them are like bland food. Reading twenty pages of the Bible offers more benefit than two hundred pages of a normal book.
Orthodox literature wastes time and money; long books often teach little and are hard to remember.
Reading orthodox literature is like circling a house for the door or watching a long movie with only five interesting minutes.
Perhaps social media frees people from dull orthodox literature. Who says character development or a single theme makes a story interesting, or that its advocates are better authors than Bible writers? To make reading more exciting, writers should leave ‘corrupted literature’ behind, blend humour with storytelling, and skip unnecessary character development and descriptions.
Some writers use complex words to seem intelligent, making stories hard to read. Don’t rush to publish: one great book is better than many poor ones. Skilled writers also enrich stories with themes, parables, proverbs, idioms, metaphors, fables, and humour.
Classic books can be shortened by cutting unnecessary character development and descriptions.
Many people have moved from Facebook to X (Twitter) for clear reasons. Orthodox writing belongs in the dustbin; it’s time to replace it with modern, easy-to-read literature. People chose long ago, they want straightforward, non-poetic books. We should respect their choice. With that in mind, we can ‘Make Reading Great Again!’
*Salom Shilongo writes in his personal capacity. He can be reached at salomshilongo997@gmail.com
The post Opinion: Make reading great again appeared first on New Era.