SUBMITTED TO: MADAM SIDRA CHAUDHARY

SUBMISSION DATE: 21ST MARCH, 2016

GROUP MEMBERS: AYEHSA YOUNUS
ANUM JAVED
BISMA JAHANGIR
FATIMA AHMED
SIDRA HABIB

DECLINE OF BOOK READING HABIT DUE TO NEW MEDIA

INTRODUCTION:
If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he
reads
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Reading is one of the oldest habits of human civilization. It has been the passion of the greatest
personalities of all times and it is the best way to widen the mental horizon. It helps in all-round
development of a person from his birth to death providing him an insight and broadens his vision
about different aspects of life.
Reading books help people of all ages to learn and develop important
life skills, in terms of education, self-improvement, positive life choices and all round wellbeing. There is an old saying that book is the best friend. However, in era of technology, time
which is the most precious commodity is now being spent on surfing the Internet with these
gadgets instead of reading books. There used to be a time when Grandparents used to read books
in front of children to develop habits of reading books within children, similarly mothers used to
tell stories to babies out from baby books. There were school and public libraries quenching the
thrust of reading. There was a time when books were supposed to be the best presents and used
to be good friends; collecting good books was hobby for several and having huge collection of
good books was snobbish.
Regrettably, the habit of reading among the new generation is declining day-by-day. In this
modern multimedia society, radio, television, cell phone, computer and Internet have captured a
big slice of time and reading has taken a back seat. The diminishing number of visitors to
different public libraries and dwindling business of leading booksellers and publishers in the
state confirm the growing apathy of the intelligentsia towards books. Even a trend of reading soft
copies or e-books of printed books is gaining momentum. Pakistan has too entered in the digital
age and with emergence of more and more e-media and blurring traditional media has weakened
the bond between the book and its readers. Children, youth and adults alike are more inclined
towards new technology for information, entertainment and pleasure and gratifying their needs
from there.
This paper attempts to summarize the literature available worldwide on this issue to identify the
impact of new technology on reading habits of youth with respect to Uses & Gratifications
Theory Propounded in 1974 by Elihu Katz, Jay Blumler and Michael, the Uses and
Gratification theory falls within the media effects tradition and its bottom line is that the media
do not do things to people; rather people do things with the media. The theory explains "how

individuals use mass communication to gratify their needs. The theory holds that "people
influence the effects that mass media have on them. The assumption of the theory is that people
are not just passive receivers of media messages; rather they actively influence the message
effects. Media audience selectively choose, attend to, perceive and retain media offerings on the
basis of their needs, beliefs, etc., thus, "there are as many reasons for using the media as there are
media users.
The Uses and Gratification theory is relevant to the study we want to conduct at hand in that both
share a common ideology and opinion on uses of media offerings, particularly by youths.

SIGNIFICANCE:
Due to technological development, reading habits are changing. In our society today, while
technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit is fast
vanishing into thin air. Students now lack the skill of reading.
Through this study we want to highlight the reasons that why students are being influenced by
the new media technology. This will help in promoting reading habits and also highlights the
importance of book reading habit.

Literature review
Different researches have been quoted regarding the topic decline of book reading habit in
student due to new media
In this study researchers establish a relationship between new media and book reading habit
among students by considering former as a factor of drop off in later. Reading habit and new
media, attitude and interest are taken as variables in this study.
Shuessler (2008), while working on Internet usage as threat to book reading? found out that
the amount of students of secondary school who used internet are increased day by day. They
studied only two medium internet and book in this article. The result show that 90% student of
secondary school used book abstracts websites. Student who read a lot in leisure have a low
frequency and school has no effect on it. Using book abstract websites are deeply influenced the
reading habit of student. They used survey method in which 54% girls and 46% boys are used
book abstract website.
According to Ikpaahindi (2008), research has shown that more than half of the adults in Nigeria
hardly ever read a book. He stressed that those who do read spend a much smaller part of their
leisure time doing so, compared to 25 years ago.
Powell-Brown (2003) cited in Popoola, Ajibade and Etim (2010) reported that a few of her preservice teachers never loved to read. She pointed out that although many of them know how to
read, they prefer to gather information through movies, television, websites and conversations.

According to Justin (1999) have come to define new media with simple list of technologies
such as CD-ROM, HTML, streaming media, DV editing, web application and DVD- video. The
problem with this is that its specificity requires the definition to change constantly as it would
have in 1993, 2000 and 2002. Moving forward in his research Justin (1999) takes a different
tack, instead focusing on the sense of interactivity that new media give users. Some takes pains
to differentiate new media from traditional mass media such as radio, film or television. But
whatever point one may place the fact is that most indispensable feature of new media is its
interactivity which others medium lacks.
Ojielo (2001) in support, highlighted that Nigerians prefer listening to story instead of reading, a
practice which accounts for the popularity of home video among the people.
Kaufman (2001) observed that children spend their time watching TV and playing video games
when they are not spending a great deal of time reading and writing. Statistics collected
according to Kaufman by the U.S Department of Education "National Centre for Educational
Statistics" shows that students achievement in both has been declining in recent times.
Ikpaahindi (2008) rightly observed that information and communication technology especially
internet technology is having adverse effect on the reading culture of Nigerians. This is because
it discourages lazy students from engaging in serious reading. Many students prefer to spend
most of their time in the cyber cafes, browsing, playing games, chatting with friends.
Ezema and Ekere (2009) identified that only few schools have good libraries while majority
have limited dog-eared books locked up in few cupboards.
THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK:
In this study researcher is using theory of uses and gratification and explains of how people use
new media to gratify their needs and how this results in decline of reading habits due to new
media on students. This theory was originated in the 1974 by Blumler and Katz. By using this
theory it is often seen in counterpart to the more deterministic media theories which assumes that
new media have certain effects on students, sometimes new media exposures leads to certain
behaviors, and sometimes without a users conscious control. It proposes that new media
consumers are actively choosing specific media (new media) content according to their needs.
UGT has heuristic value today because it gives a communication and a specific behavior and
medium to one to satisfy his/her goals and this explanatory powers of a theory that how
individuals actively participating in new media emerges the ignorance of reading habit among
students. Students are seen actively participating their part in new media use, which gives
understanding that how and why students actively seek out specific new media to satisfy specific
needs and goals. These goals and needs can be different for different user and can include
entertainment , information , relief of boredom or escapism ,Introspection or insight , finding
models for behaviors , seeking reinforcement for beliefs and values , helping to either identify
with others or to avoid interactions and so on. This study is examining how students prefer

certain media (new media) over another (book reading) according to their needs. Students prefer
new media which here is in form of internet, social networking sites, blogs, mobile use, virtual
and video games etc. They prefer this media on book-reading. Or it is more specific to say that
their new media is gratifying their certain needs which book-reading cannot. This is a traditional
form of seeking information and entertainment. Students prefer to go through the content through
internet because they felt more easy and free to read news/books online instead of printed stuff.
So it has a great impact on what students like to read and through which medium they like to
read. Uses and gratification also identify certain motives behind different media uses. Motives
behind using new media can be various. New media is more attractive than any traditional mean
of communication. It is more up-to-date, timely, and dynamic and multidimensional. And a very
major motive is new media provides space for feedback, which any traditional media cannot.
Every new media has its positive and negative effects, students keep different media effects
while choosing some media outlet over another. So effects of any media whether they be positive
or negative affects the students choice while choosing between different media. Other than this
information and entertainment seeking behavior of students also compel them to choice and
prefer one media over another

Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

To check underlying motives for students new media use.

To identify the positive and negative consequences of students new media use.
To check how students use new media to gratify their needs.
To check out the students interest level in new media technologies and in book reading.
To check the intellectual level of the students in comparison who reads books, to those

who dont read books and use new media.

6. To find out the number of hours the students devote in reading books and new media.

REFRENCES:
1. http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/igbokwe-obodike-ezeji.htm
2. http://www.pak-times.com/2008/07/31/book-reading-is-declining-in-youth-ofpakistanhttp://lifehacker.com/399640/disc-eraser-renders-optical-mediaunreadable/comment-page-1/
3. http://mssv.net/2008/12/28/the-long-decline-of-reading/