I’m reading “The Shallows” right now (thank you Matt, my local independent bookseller, for another eye-opening tome). It addresses how the Internet is changing our brains. Did you know that you read differently online? Eye-tracking studies have shown that the vast majority of people read the first two or three full lines of text on a web page,
and then
their
eyes
drop
down
a few
lines,
quickly.
Then they may once again scan about halfway across the page
for a couple more lines, before finally letting their eyes continue
down
the
left-hand
side
fast,
to the
bottom.
Their eyes
make
a “F”
pattern.
(“F” for Fail?)
Avg. time on ANY page?
19-27 seconds.
Bye.
Oh ye of little faith. I typically look for keywords that arouse my interest and, if worthwhile content appears to be present in the text, I invest some time in mining the information being conveyed. Much of that recorded on the net is the equivalent of low grade ore and finding nuggets of gold can be a frustrating search. So, yup, quite a few pages receive scant attention, but guess I’m somewhat addicted to prospecting in the hope, perhaps, of striking the occasional mother lode.
Will check “The Shallows”.
Thanks, Mary
Hey Les,
It’s definitely worth a read. Not negative wrt the web, just illuminating. I also tend to read extensively online, and don’t click many links while reading. But apparently that’s not the norm. One thing I really like online is being able to read long form journalism – stories and long essays. I guess we’re atypical. (or maybe just old?) Next post will have to do with running… thanks for coming back!