Choices and stimulation
It’s a fact of life that not everyone reads for pleasure. For those of us who do enjoy reading, technological changes seem to have disrupted the range of things on offer. There are moments when I want to read serious literary works and other times when I want lighter stimulation. I’m not aware of there being as much to choose from on the light side of things nowadays, but there again, there is so much content being shared on a regular basis that it is hard to know where to begin, a lot of the time.
Is it possible that my attention has been taken by the constant flow of video clips and links that I get sent on Whatsapp, for example? It feels like the world of fiction in storytelling is fighting a losing battle against all the other forms of content.
Cinema, TV and other related forms don’t seem to be telling stories that attract people like me. I used to enjoy art movies or going to The Coliseum to see an opera, but something seems to have been lost in the mystique and magic of storytelling. I hope it isn’t anything to do with cynicism on my part.
I sense that most public tellers of stories are being too careful nowadays, or they are telling personal stories about issues that are of interest to those who belong to their tribes. I guess this means that I have to create the narratives that interest me, along similar lines.
It’s a great thing that everyone has more access to ways and means of disseminating information. Now we need to find ways to sort out the wheat from the chaff, so we can enjoy the content that actually floats our individual boats.
