Reading was once a part of important recreational activities. It used to be something the children, the teenager’s and even the young adults used to love to do. There was no rush on using mobile phones or playing computer games. Life was pretty simple if seen from the young adult viewpoint. However, in today’s changing time, can we still say the same?
Earlier the children have had conversations with their favorite fictional characters, their favorite books, or the author but things are no more the same. With the advent of digitalization, it is like people have started to forget the smell of books, the essence of using a hardcover book. Today even when kids read, they prefer more eBooks rather than going the traditional way. Either students don’t get time because they are so packed up with their heavy schedule or maybe they don’t like reading. One way or another we are surely missing out on something great and many hard works of creativity.
Why this conversation about the gen Z?
The generation Z population has been exposed to the best of knowledge in terms of technology and development. They are aware of the resources that they can make use of and at the same time they ensure they get the best out of it. On the other hand, when it comes to reading in the physical form, the millennials, the generation before gen Z, are more deviant towards reading than later. They were probably the last generation to make the use of libraries. These libraries were once a very important aspect of our lives and our education is now considered old school and obsolete. Today’s youth rather choose to order books online from the comfort of their homes or read and subscribe to eBooks as and when required.
This new generation followed up just by the millennials, who are born after the 1990s has brought with them a revolutionary taste in their preferences. As they are all brought up in the era of usage of a lot of devices and technology, they tend to develop a sense of belonging more towards technological advancements rather than the traditional methods. In an era where even basic education is forecasted online, there is really not much to blame them. But the question lies, whither this advancement is really necessary?
It is true that generation Z has a more optimistic approach than any other generation. They always have the urge to progress and do better than yesterday. They even like things that happen faster and gives them the opportunity to multi-task. But doesn’t that mean they are losing the essence to feel the small things around them? Are they really growing up or are they just becoming the part of a rat race, just too early?
These questions arise every time we talk of progression because what we are living behind for the would-be adults is truly important. This is what they would be carrying forward. Hence, it becomes extremely important to have conversations about them and for them.
What’s the gen Z taste in reading?
When it comes to increasing the variety and habit of reading among young adults, the first priority is always important to first understand their present taste. Obviously, they would be no more interested in reading about things they don’t believe in. It is necessary to recognize their generation Z culture and aspirations. Generation Z is all about influential people and revolutionary culture. They are here to talk of changes and bring about distinctions from the normal. It is their diversified outlook that makes them stand apart from other generations. They like to talk and read of liberalization, talking of black lives, control of poverty, political problems, gay marriages, and topics that influence their minds. Even though, this generation is full of digital naïves but if something catches hold of their attention, they definitely do read it. It is true that too sell the traditional hardcover books among this generation kids is quite a task but that doesn’t mean that they have discarded reading completely. Some of them have even dug keen interest in the series of Harry Potter novels, that of Percy Jackson, the Twilight series, and many such evergreen books. Some even like to explore other genres like that of ‘The fault in our stars‘,’ The Hunger Games’, or that of poetry. This generation also has a keen interest in books of hard-hitting poetry like that of Rupi Kaur- the short yet hard-hitting words always draw attention for them. They read books, maybe they read less, but they definitely do. Yes, it is true that to get their interest is an issue, but it is not impossible.
