Rec League

Anne Helen Petersen

They Don't Want You to Read

They Don't Want You to Read

An essay by Anne Helen Petersen exploring the value of friction and focus in the reading experience.

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  • Kate George
    Kate GeorgeFirst to rec

    “Fav section: “And that’s the big thing. Friction. Reading is technology that’s full of friction. Settling into somebody else’s words is magic—their voice…inside your head! But it takes focus and, even more importantly, it takes time. Reading, for many, requires quiet or at least concentration. You can’t read while walking the dog or doing the dishes or in the car. Text doesn’t autoplay when you log into a news site and when you finish a story, most sites don’t throw another one at you like YouTube does. This will sound precious as somebody who writes for a living, but it’s not exactly a fair fight. What makes reading so vital, so fulfilling, is friction. And the internet is trying to eliminate friction in every way possible.””

    1

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