In Defense of Slow Reading

In his article "In Defense of Slow Reading" Paul Davis weighs in on the transition occurring from traditional print reading to digital reading. Davis uses the term "slow reading" to distinguish between the act of reading and the actual comprehension of reading. What Davis means by slow reading is the skill of being able to read something, in its full depth. Davis believes that it is nearly impossible to perform slow reading on something in a digital medium, like reading a news article on your cell phone or tablet because of the amount of distractions that technology offers. I do, however, believe it is somewhat possible to engage in slow reading via technology, but as Davis said, it depends on the amount of distraction there is. I personally own an e-Reader, and the only thing that e-Reader can do is display books. However, reading on an iPhone is entirely different. Yes, you are reading it but do you really understand it? How long can you retain that information when the next thing you do is open an application? I believe the importance of slow reading is all about apperception. The information needs to be more than just read, it needs to register in your mind and cause you to think. My daily life would be drastically different without the availability of technology. Anything I want to see is in essence right at my fingertips. I have become so accustomed to the convenience of technology that I can't even remember what I did before my smart phone. Overall, Davis makes an extremely relevant argument.