John Miedema

The I, Reader series started as a collection of notes I kept over the previous year, as part of a book concept. The reason for undertaking the blog series was to provide a first draft of the ideas in the notes, a first rough cut. It was recognized that the first draft would not be anything close to a book, but it was hoped it would provide the outline of one. Writing the series did prove helpful in articulating the ideas, and sorting them into themes. The themes suggested a set of chapters into which the content can be organized. The following book outline modifies the themes into chapters. It also provides a high level summary of the proposed content for those chapters. The chapters correspond closely with the themes of the blog series, but the naming and content of the chapters vary slightly due to a broader perspective gained from the writing process.

Title and subtitle

The series was entitled, I, Reader, an allusion to Isaac Asimov’s book, I, Robot, a popular collection of short stories that dealt with many of the conflicts that arise between people and their technology. The series was organized into eight themes. I noticed that the writing of a particular theme often seemed to suggest a new title for the series. For example, when writing the Creative Reading theme, I briefly changed the series title to the same name. A similar phenomenon was noticed when writing other themes, but I decided to maintain the original title.

Each of the themes was also considered for a subtitle to the series. The currently favoured subtitle, and the one displayed at this blog, does not come from any of the themes. The current subtitle is Bibliophilia and Its Discontents. It is a nod to Ellen Ullman’s book, Close to the machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents. Her book and the current book concept both explore a deep, even compulsive relationship with an activity. In her case it is technology not reading, but the current work also reflects on the offerings and limitations of technology.

Chapter 1: Robots and readers

Chapter one uses the metaphor of robot to consider possible conflicts between readers and technology. Deep reading is often considered to be a very human activity, using print books, reflecting at length in a quiet environment such as a library. Reading on the web seems like a very different activity, briefly scanning large quantities of information snippets, frequently distracted by links or message notifications. It is an activity that seems better suited to machines. This chapter asks whether both kinds of reading will continue, or if deep reading is on the way out? Does technology diminish the reader, or does it shed new light on what it means to be a reader? In contrast to that line of questioning, does it make any sense to ask if advanced technology, robots, will one day wish to read books? This final question is asked again at the end of the book.

Chapter 2: Creative reading

The impact of technology on literacy is often assessed in reference to skill development among children and teens. Other insights can be gained by looking at effects on adults with advanced literacy skills. The impact may be most evident when comparing web scanning to slow reading. These skills are variously called serious reading, deep reading or slow reading. For current purposes, the book uses the term, creative reading. The concept of creative reading suggests an art form, not excluding innovations with technology. Two trajectories of creative reading are considered. A reader can develop a deeper relationship with him or herself, or extend into the world by “thinking with the minds of others”. The web is suited to sharing books and reading insights with others. The concept of creative reading begins to dissolve the perceived boundary between readers and their technology.

Chapter 3: Books that change the reader

In the blog series, I wrote about 50 books that changed me. For the next draft, I am not certain if I will talk about books that changed me, or generalize the idea for broader interest. In any case, this chapter will bring home the idea that creative reading is essential in the development of self, identity, and social relations. It is observed that creativity often involves some risk, and sometimes rule breaking. Creative reading is no different. Changing up traditional reading patterns with novel uses of technology is one such risk.

Chapter 4: The information quake

The landscape of reading changed dramatically with the advent of the digital technology, making it easier and cheaper to publish print books. At the same time, the web offered digital publication, an easy way for anyone to publish anything they liked to the world. The quantity of information available keeps accelerating. At times it seems that technology is overwhelming us with information. Our reading patterns have changed. The reading we do in books is quite different that what we do on the web. We tend to scan snippets on the web, jumping from one to the next. Our brains were never hard-wired to read; we have re-purposed neuronal circuitry for that purpose. As our reading habits change with the web, it follows that so do our neural pathways. To the surprise of some, it appears that a degree of quality can emerge given sufficient quantity of information.

Chapter 5: Birth of the reader-writer

Reading often leads to writing. Until recently, readers could write personal journals, create ‘kitchen’ or vanity publications, or go the long and arduous route of traditional print publishing. Today, the web provides a creative writing outlet for readers who might never have taken pen to paper. Writing has traditionally been a solitary activity, but on the web writing is a social event. Readers may not find a large following, but it satisfies their need to share their thoughts about what they have read. Literary scholars have talked about the death of the author and the birth of the reader, the shift in literary analysis from revering the author’s intentions to an interest in the reader’s interpretation of a work. The web further breaks down the old walls around authors. Readers interact with authors through blogs, providing feedback even as a new book is being written. The reader is an agent in the writing process. This transition may be called the birth of the reader-writer. It is a shift in the identity of a reader.

Chapter 6: Birth of the reader-hacker

Early visions of computers suggested that one day they would think for us. Few people talk about artificial intelligence these days. The latest trend in computing, Web 2.0, is all about harnessing the intelligence of people because the programs are unable to do it for us. The web appears to be a friendly place for readers, and readers are responding by transforming the web to serve and enrich their reading experiences. This transition is another shift in the identity of the reader, and may be called the birth of the reader-hacker. Readers with all levels of technical skill are finding innovative ways to discover titles, share their thoughts, and read on-line. Readers use the web to find books in libraries, and share print books with other readers. The web is displacing a certain amount of traditional print, but to a large degree, the web is being used to enhance the reading of print books.

Innovation often entails breaking rules, and reading on the web is no different. Readers still care about access to information and censorship, and are fighting these battles on the web through mechanisms such as peer-to-peer file sharing, not only of music but books as well. Creative reading is not dying, only becoming more complex. This perspective suggests another identity shift of reader as outlaw.

Chapter 7: The end of the web

Digital technology at its most basic is about ones and zeros, on and off switches. All sane systems require downtime. There is an end to how much the digital technology and the web can enrich reading. Quantity of information does not fully translate to quality. Print culture better served many important reading values, such as an absence of distraction, private reflection and corresponding development of self, and copyright protection. Rather than the “always on, always connected” vision of web enthusiasts, it is suggested that downtime is vital for our well-being. The “end of the web” is about the limits of the web.

Chapter 8: The book on fire (working theme title swiped from Keith Miller’s wonderful book I am currently reading)

Chapter one of I, Reader asked whether deep reading and scanning can both continue, or if deep reading is on the way out. It asked if technology diminishes the reader, or if it instead sheds new light on what it means to be a reader?

The subtitle of this book is Bibliophilia and Its Discontents. The book is a reconciliation of reading in the traditional sense with the disruptions caused by technology. An initial resistance to change is yielding to fascinating insights about books, reading, technology, and the identity of the reader. A pivotal observation is that digital books rarely replace print books, but instead enrich the reading experience. The lowered bar to publishing may mean too many books of low quality, but also an increased likelihood that a book exists for even a narrow subject of interest. The presence of books online makes it easier to find titles of interest. Digital books provide connections for further exploration of a book after reading it print. Print with its fixity is still the superior technology for deep reading, while the dynamic nature of digital technology sets the book on fire for other reading purposes. The two kinds of reading complement each other

The book is not only a static thing, and neither is the reader. It could be said that the reader is not a robot, but that is not exactly accurate. The book shows how the reader is creatively adapting the web to serve the purposes of deep reading. How is it that the reader can do this? It is a philosophical and metaphysical question. We too have a technological nature, suited to extension. In the final analysis, it is not so much that technology will diminish or replace us, but rather that we as technological beings will continue to extend and create ourselves. Rather than asking if technology will diminish readers, it makes more sense to ask if advanced technology will one day wish to read books. Will robots read? We already do.