“We become what we behold. We shape our tools,
and thereafter our tools shape us.”

Marshall McLuhan

There has always been a clash between two antagonistic generations on the basis of ideology and the concept of living a purposeful life. Each one of them believes that the other is living in illusion. The millennial generation often raises questions about the code of conduct and living standards of Gen Z. The questions they raise are: does Gen Z still read? Is it living an absurd life? Has it forgotten its history? Based on their own presumed thoughts, they have concluded and called Gen Z a parasite, and labeled it with a cockroach. Most of the time, they call Gen Z Social media aficionados. The arguments that our elders raise strike a chord with their generation. Millennial arguments about Gen Z resonate with what Generation X believed about Millennials. Now the question arises: is Gen Z really trading books for screens? Is Gen Z dropping the habit of reading culture? On behalf of Gen Z, pardon my recalcitrance, but the answer might be like chalk and cheese. According to various research studies, Gen Z is hooked on reading and doing research. According to a survey conducted by Portland State University for the American Library Association, 61% of Gen Z read at least one book in the past year—whether physical, digital, or audio—and even 57% consider themselves actual “readers”! The curious part is that among the 43% who don’t identify with that label, some read more printed books monthly than the general average. There is no denying the fact that Gen Z is much attracted to screens, yet what they are doing is the genuine question. After the pandemic of 2019, a paradigm shift took place in reading methods. Gen Z has invented a platform named BookTok. Where they study online. Similarly, one using earbuds, there are many possibilities that he/she is listening to a podcast or news. Although scrolling seems to be an evil addiction for the young generation in the eyes of millennials or Gen X, this scrolling brought a revolution in multiple countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Youth in India challenged the education system and compelled the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, to resign from his position. This reflects their affection for studies and the promotion of an updated version of reading culture. Gen Z focuses more on research-based studies and prefers soft over hard-copy learning. However, one man’s meat is another man’s poison, and the former generation can’t digest this method of reading. One of the most prominent practices of Gen Z is verification of news. When it listens something in a discussion or in any other assembly, they grab their digital tools (Mobile, e-book, or laptop) to verify the authenticity of that news. Even the verification is a quick reading, but it indicates how much the authenticity of news or reference matters to today’s youth. One of the imperative qualities of this generation is its reluctance to blindly follow others. They prefer to choose their own way of living. Therefore, they are very involved in changing the outdated ways of learning and reading. This is something that strikes against the mentality of former generations; they become resistant to adopting it. As a result, former generations call Gen Z a parasite and a generation that drops the culture of reading. Today’s youth are much more enthusiastic and passionate about learning new characters that might be considered prohibited among the people of former generations. This generation has made a strong connection with other communities in the world. Owing to their bonding, they share their literature by using the platform of social media in one way or the other. Contrary to that, Gen Z is not only active on social media, but also a bibliophile generation. It feels pleasure in libraries and find an aesthetic environment among the books. Libraries are replete with students. Such attraction of Gen Z towards libraries portrays the love of reading culture that we find in youth.

Why is Gen Z often called the generation that is fading book culture?

It has been a profound mantra among the former generations that Gen Z is fading book culture. As this generation is glued to screens and born in an advanced technological era, they are more resistant to adopting the previous means. Generation Z is iconoclastic and rejects outdated traditions, which is a revolution. As Aristotle said, “Any major or minor change in traditions is a revolution.” Similarly, no one accepts any change that takes place in their nurtured customs. It doesn’t merely deal with Gen Z, but every generation, to some extent, becomes resistant to previous means of living. Millennials rejected the traditions of Gen X, and Gen X rejected the traditions of the Baby Boomer generation, and so on. Therefore, Gen Z is usually called misologists by the previous generations because they are more affiliated with digital tools. This is something beyond the understanding of previous generations. Hence, they alleged that Gen Z is the generation that is fading book culture.

How is Gen Z redefining reading format?

Gen Z grew up on smartphones, and their reading reflects high engagement with mobile reading, audiobooks, and web fiction. Yet, this doesn’t mean printed books are being entirely ignored. Printed books are more dominant in today’s world. Gen Z is format-agnostic. However, some of the segments of society name this generation as a lazy generation, so they prefer the option that is easily available. And that preference is a soft version of reading, which is easily available. Although it is a smart job that Gen Z is doing, it’s all Greek to previous generations.

Gen Z has introduced a spectacular reform in reading culture.

It has transformed reading from a solitary act into a community–driven experience. It has created various online book clubs and reading communities on social media. Various surveys indicate that 68% of discovered books are the recommendations given on social media. This is a reform that converted the entire globe into a library.

What does Gen Z want to read?

Most of Gen Z actively seek diversification in reading culture. They prefer to indulge in communities that are ignored in one way or the other. Gen Z is passionately giving a platform to marginalized voices in the world. Gen Z is active in queer narratives and global and regional storytelling. It is not bound to any particular literature, but finds aesthetics in the literature of every nation. Gen Z doesn’t care about boundary lines that have been demarcated by international organizations, but what it cares about is Homo sapiens. This is something that previous generations might never have thought about. And this is something that makes Gen Z saviors of reading culture, preserving the importance of humans by promoting literature of every nation in the world.

Conclusion

Human beings love what they have been following for a long period of time. They don’t want a sudden change in their traditions. Therefore, a revolution that Gen Z has brought by digitalizing and diversifying reading culture is out of bounds for the previous generations. Hence, it has been a mantra used by the former stick-in-the-mud generation that Gen Z is trading books for screens. However, reality is a far cry from it. Gen Z has revolutionized the reading culture. With the use of social media, Gen Z has converted the entire globe into a library. It covers the voice and history of every nation. So, the concept of Gen Z being far from books is a delusion, but not more than that.

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