OTT vs Books...

Hello avid readers! Anyone who has stumbled upon this newsletter has to be an avid reader that explores the deep caves of a platform like linkedin to have come across a work & productivity newsletter like mine. Today's world is fast paced and the newbies want everything quick, ready & easily accessible be it their fast food, fast fashion, lightning speed internet & rocket speed entertainment. Thus, in this new age the joy of slow reading & taking pleasure in books is seemingly getting lost.

There are a lot of book buyers, but it doesn't mean they are all readers. Since reading requires more commitment to start & finish, its considered something hard & makes one feel more intellectual when holding a book so its more of a statement nowadays to talk about a trending book in town. Its even more trending to discuss the storyline & direction of that new web series that everyone is watching.

Remember how many started watching 'Game of thrones' to look cool in front of peers who watch the show. Its normal to be influenced by trends in society. Easy to be swayed in the storm of watching content because its easy & certainly more stimulating for the senses when experienced. True readers would defend & argue that reading is more stimulating since you envision/imagine a world in your own brain & it gives you a dimension that might not even be possible to create on the television set.

Although its an age old battle of books vs movies/shows.

How many potterheads still debate over, the books were better than the movies?

Still it has been claimed by many that reading is better for us than watching entertainment content on OTTs or TV. Watching shows/movies is a form of passive entertainment which doesn't actively require you to give your 100% senses whereas when you read you are giving your attention to the book in hand, improving your comprehension, retention capability. It has been evidently said books can calm nerves & help one sleep better. All the graphics, audio & action scenes in the contents we watch overwhelm our brains & stimulate us in the wrong way at times.

How many of you have had trouble falling asleep after watching horror movies at night?

Its not that writers have become extinct or the sales of books have come down at all. If anything, they have increased. Its just that the form has more competition now more than ever to protect its relevance. We have podcasts, audiobooks as well. Everyone is so busy these days, they claim to not even have time to sit & read. Unfortunately audiobooks can't give us what a book in hand can. You may know the story but its just noise in the ears if you aren't focussed enough!

Remember none of those movies are made without a writer. It requires good written script & storyline to make it worthwhile for the audience. Your books may do that by engaging your brain to imagine the world a writer created in their minds. We have many fantasy, mythology & informative genres trending recently among readers.

I believe reading needs to given a true chance to experience the joy. If you want to start reading & find it hard to stay focussed, start with some genre that intrigues you. I suggest 'The silent patient' , 'Maybe Someday', 'A Thousand splendid suns' & ofcourse 'Harry Potter' to beginners.

But if you were a reader in school & slowly seem to have lost your touch , wish to start reading again please pick up 'Norwegian wood' by Murukami. It may rekindle your spark again!

Let me know if that helped & do let me know in comments what's your favourite book or show.

Thanks!