Arnold Kling has written a post arguing that there’s a reason that people read fewer non-fiction books than they used to. There are now better alternatives to getting information, including the internet and AI. It’s about opportunity cost, or as he puts it, at the margin, reading essays or having conversations with AI is a better use of your time.
I think he’s right for nonfiction, and if what you want is specific information. Books still have an edge if you want to go deep into a subject, or if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
For fiction, I’m not sure if Kling’s thesis is correct at all. As Kling observes, people read less contemporary fiction than before. The trend is even more pronounced for men. Unlike Kling, I’m doubtful that this reflects a rational choice. As argued elsewhere, spending time on social media or watching movies or TV shows is less likely to leave you fulfilled than reading novels.
Nehaveigur 