We made reels cool, protests cool and, in its own aesthetic-heavy, performative way, reading cool. It doesn’t really matter if that tote-carrying, wired-earphones-wearing individual can quote Orwell or not – we’re unlikely to miss the paperback of 1984 sitting beside their matcha. It’s an aesthetic, sure, but it’s also a way to touch grass, slow down and connect. So whether it’s Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters or Oscar Wilde, for us, reading is the equivalent of self-care. No cap.
Whether it’s Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters or Oscar Wilde, for us, reading is the equivalent of self-care
‘We have expanded reading, we read in all formats’Anviti Jaiswal, president of Unabridged, Kamala Nehru College’s book club, shares, “I believe readers are everywhere, in every generation. We haven’t stopped reading, in fact we’ve expanded how reading happens. We consume physical books, e-books, audiobooks, serialised web fiction, and long-form fan fiction.”Vanshika Mohnani, president of Wordcraft, Literary society of Ramjas College, notes, “I feel our generation is not ignorant of things, they have this hunger of knowing everything. Even these trending bookstagram reels and other videos make people interested in reading more. I have read a lot of classics like Mrs Dalloway, Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, Macbeth, Jane Eyre, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein.”Responding to the argument that we don’t read, Kovid Shrivastava, president of the Book Club, Kirori Mal College says,“Our shorter attention spans, constantly stimulated by reels and short-form content, can make passive consumption feel boring. That creates a desire for something slower and more immersive, which is perhaps why we’re seeing people go back to hobbies like reading.”
Gen Z argues that shorter attention spans create a desire for something slower, immersive
‘Our generation is the most vocal about books and politics’Talking about short attention spans, Vanshika adds, “We do have a short attention span but we read everything: From college documents, to meme texts, substacks, newspapers, magazines, books, webtoons, manga and manhwa. Our generation is also the most vocal about books and politics. I feel you can never separate the two.”While it’s not just our generation, readers in general often put books down. Anviti says, “It all depends on the writing. I put a book down when it’s too repetitive or fast paced or there’s an overall lack of momentum. A book with clear narrative momentum, fun dialogues and good chemistry between the characters is best even when slow-paced.”
‘There is also a huge literary crisis among the younger generation, and they’ve realised that and have made that pivot,’ says Anushree Malik, co-curator of Lodhi Reads
‘It’s a trend to be well-read’Anushree Malik, co-curator of Lodhi Reads, a silent reading community in Delhi, shares, “Gen Z specially are realizing how bad phones, devices and being chronically online are for your mental health. There’s a lack of agency because social media apps are designed to get you hooked. Reading is a way to reclaim agency, which is something that has been taken away from us. There is also a huge literary crisis among the younger generation, and they’ve realised that and have made that pivot. A big part of it is also trend based, it’s a trend to be really well-read online. I don’t think it’s a bad thing if it gets people reading, even if it is performative to an extent.”