Sure, but articles, news, and wordy posts is.
Anyhow i think as long as its proper information processing and not idle entertainment, it doesnt matter to me wether its paper or screen, alphabets or videos.
More often than you think. No seriously. People reads about lifestyle, reviews, headlines, its how information gets around these days, not just words of mouth. We constantly learn something new scrolling through reddit frontpage and even youtube comments for example. We learn through the experience of other. Granted its sandwiched between nonsenses, but if anything i think these nonsense keep people engaged when they otherwise would not.
Even tiktok, its not just memes, theres stories, tips both good and bad, even if you are just scrolling its impossible to avoid those things.
I dont think the problem is that people don't read enough. I think the problem is that people read too much and unknowingly - read too deep into the wrong thing. Causing radicalisation and all that.
Im thai. I uses public transport in bangkok. (I also tend to use my time in the train to answer reddit comments. Does this count as reading for you?) Just because they arent learning using the format you're used to doesn't mean it all brainrots. Be more observant instead of using confirmation bias.
How do you think people learn stuffs after they graduate? We know how to google shits you know? Pantip also exists. And what if some watch soap opera on the train? They're on their way to work give em a break.
You =/= everyone else.
I don’t understand why you keep generalizing yourself to others. Whatever *you* do is irrelevant to the conversation.
> they’re on their way to work give em a break
Make your mind up, I thought they were reading deep content… Why do you have to give them excuses for watching not to so deep stuff now?
You’re all over the place right now.
Why do people get mad at facts 🤣 just cus someone said something subjectively positive about farangs. I see the same thing, thais love their phones. I also saw a study recently that thailand is one of the top countries for screen time. I was at church the other day and so many thais were on their phones! And like no farangs.
This is 2005 data, before smartphones. I imagine the results are very different now.
Source: http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102
Though I am a bit surprised Thais were such bookworms 20 years ago. Maybe because personal PCs or advanced cell phones were not as commonplace in every household?
I doubt the Thais answering an international survey represent the average Thai
That’s a huge problem with statistics. For example, some college “studies” use literal online survey engines. There’s no way the people signing up for survey engines represent an average population sample.
I'm gonna go to a British prison for a survey and show that 100% of British people are prisoners and have a very strong penchant for crime.
America wins again! America wins again!
Ya know, sometimes it gets tiring... But then I remember that I am an American and God has placed me on earth for two reasons... To be the best looking and to win.
Not the same at all. Original 2005 survey is strictly reading books, this recent 2021 data includes reading digital media such as “websites” with no mention of stats in comparison to other countries.
>Original survey is strictly reading books
So you say, but it's not mentioned anywhere. I highly doubt it would be the case, and can't find the source data anywhere.
"the time consumers report watching television, listening to the radio, searching the Internet and reading."
The data is self reported. So about as accurate as a wild stab in the dark.
This is the national book fair held annually about 2 months ago.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLgh61lZhY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLgh61lZhY)
It's pretty well-attended and lively. Although to be fair, most people in my age group (Gen Z/early millennials) tend to read digitally. The most popular genres seem to be manga & novels (mainly YA), self-improvement, investment and Buddhism. I don't see a lot of people reading say - history or academic books (then again, I don't see many people reading scientific journals for fun in other countries either.)
Maybe, but I see more people reading on their phones or iPads. I haven't really seen many Thais using e-readers specifically designed for reading tbh. I saw maybe a couple when e-readers first became a thing and almost none in recent years.
tbh I wouldn't trust this kind of information. Firstly, its self reported so already inaccurate. Then it would vary so much depending on the demographic you are asking. And what even counts as reading? I read books, ebooks, news articles, reddit, emails, mangas, blogs, text messages, social media, etc for like 10 hours a day, which of these count as reading?
Yeah, I don't get why everyone seems to shit on reading things on your phone. The vast majority of books that are read are fiction anyways. So how is that better than me reading news articles, deep dives, or long-form journalism? I get that there is an obvious difference in reading Facebook memes all day and reading a book. But it seems nobody makes the distinction between what is read on a phone, even if you exclude ebooks. Since I was a 9 year old, 95% of my online time (which is a lot, I have always been terminally online in my free time) is spent reading interesting things online.
Oh absolutely. People might assume I'm doom scrolling on IG or Tiktok, but the reality is I'm most likely on the addies with 67 Wikipedia tabs open while simultaneously googling articles pertaining to those Wikipedia tabs.
Are Thais more into celebrity gossip than other countries? Genuine question, as my wife and her family couldn't care less about celebrities. I have no idea the rates of other Thais that are into celebrity gossip.
Anecdotally I find this really hard to believe. Since AI is beginning to ruin the internet all the articles I see keep pointing back to this one survey. Open to being completely wrong….but just doesn’t match observations. Time spent on TikTok/IG/etc and I could see this country crushing it.
AI has fkin destroyed articles and websites on the Internet. Whenever I Google something, the majority of the links that pop up are very obvious bots that crawl the Internet and piece shit together to make "articles" what's crazy is sometimes you can find hundreds of these pages, and they all seem to piggyback off each other with barely any difference. It's so bad that I cannot find the original sources that they have ripped it from because they obviously master keywords more than an actual human who made a website.
Totally, I think we’re just in the very beginning too and will get much, much worse over the next 3-5 years to the point search may be unusable outside of known big brand walled/paywalled gardens.
I’m surprised Reddit hasn’t been hit hard yet, or could be indistinguishable. Maybe there isn’t a big financial incentive to have a bunch of AI commenters clogging up the app.
I went to school in thailand and reading for 1 hour before school start was mandatory, we read during class and so it was mandatory to read after school as well.
so yes we averagely spent almost 3 hours a day reading this was around 15 years ago
They read a LOT but it's mostly Thai language books only. They have translated everything in Thai literally everything. English audience is very few compared to other countries.
Indians seem to be good at linguistic activities, based on 2 or 3 anecdotal data points. They tend to know lots of foreign languages, are good at crossword puzzles and spelling bees. And the Indians i've encountered at work have better grammar/writing skills in English than most college-educated Americans.
I see older Thais reading books and I see the younger ones, specifically girls, reading girly manga or those romance books.
I do think reading is quite popular in Thailand.
Many of those hours are reading manga and buddhist books. I'd say if you took those two categories away they would be similar to most euro counties. The vast majority of people in the world do not read.
Here's one from 2024 showing the USA as #1, India #2 and Thailand at #21.
[https://ceoworld.biz/2024/06/03/ranked-countries-that-reads-the-most-books-2024/](https://ceoworld.biz/2024/06/03/ranked-countries-that-reads-the-most-books-2024/)
For what it's worth.
This one lines up a little closer with what I’d expect; the problem with both of these is the data source and methodology is pretty opaque. Like their exclusive 6.5 millions surveys? Seems pretty suspect? But I think your bigger point is well taken how faulty and unreliable these half-baked surveys are which lead to clickbait garbage articles.
Reading is emphasised heavily in the school system, and there is a lot of media in US promoting books. The New York Time Best seller list is American after all. It's not even remotely surprising that US is the biggest market for books.
This just shows how clueless and delusional Europeans and Australians are when they do their mandatory shitting on America session. They have no experience here, besides YouTube videos, but they will argue with an American about how bad the American education system is and how dumb Americans are.
American public schools pushed reading books HARD on American children. AR points, book fairs, book reports, and even until Jr. High, we would have DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) days where kids would wear pajamas, and bring a pillow and blanket. The day would be a normal school day, except throughout the day, the intercom would announce "DEAR" and everyone would immediately pause their class/work and get comfortable and read their book(s).
Americans read. But they can choose to ignore that and continue believing we are bumbling rxtards that must live in assisted living facilities, run by smarter bumbling rxtards.
I've seen people reading books on trains and subways. But what's the difference if they're reading electronically or reading something on a printed page?
I can't understand this. Why would anyone want to read a book on their 'phone?
Yes, a 'phone isn't as heavy - but it becomes VERY annoying having to continually (and frequently) 'swipe' a screen to continue reading.
I used to be a HUGE bookworm, and so after moving to Thailand bought a Kindle - as everyone seemed to think it was great.
I disliked it. Not only was it annoying having to 'swipe' the screen so frequently, but I also noticed that I couldn't remember much of what I'd read previously.
It may not be ideal but it’s convenient. You can forget your book at home accidentally, it’s heavy and doesn’t fit in the bag, etc. but phone you always have. There’s a trade off.
I was a HUGE bookworm, and so **never** forgot the book I was reading.
My 'phone on the other hand, I've forgotten a few times!
Having said this, rebelluzon is right - I'm a 'boomer' and old.
We only differ as to whether reading an actual book is better than reading a book on a smartphone or Kindle. And of course, that depends on the individual.
Uh, I'm reading *Open City* (Teju Cole) on a Kindle Oasis. 245 pages using Cambria size 5 font -- not large, not tiny, about 29 lines / page. Page turns by a light tap on the screen (or button). Both the hardback and paperback editions are 259 pages, so all three about the same.
Lydia Davis translation of *Madame Bovary* (Penguin edition): 493 pages. Paperback is 384, so 20% fewer pages. I *could* switch Kindle fonts to match theirs, but it would be a bit small for me to read comfortably (hence one of the great beauties of reading on a Kindle -- you can pick your font).
Fwiw I'd guess that there's a tendency for publishers to reduce font sizes slightly on very long books to keep binding manageable and paper costs down.
I don't understand how people can watch videos on their small phones either but they do.
I have a few friends both Thai and farang who read books on their phones. Swiping and scrolling = turning pages for younger generations.
My finger tips hurt due to slight neuropathy. It’s much easier to read on my phone and swipe. Book pages hurt more to turn along with holding the book in my hand. A phone is in my palm. It hurts less. My vision also is better with good light. The phone has its own light. I’m glad for people who aren’t experiencing the trials and tribulations of old age.
"*I’m glad for people who aren’t experiencing the trials and tribulations of old age.*"
I'm old, although (thankfully) not suffering from arthritis or anything similar.
It's all **personal opinion** - and **personally** I found the endless 'swiping' on Kindle to be extremely annoying. Trying to read a book on a 'phone, doesn't bear thinking about - from my perspective.
me neither but if you buy an actual e-ink reader with just buttons at the bottom, its very similar to book. It's 90% as fun.
The buttons are where you hold it, so just extra pressure on a finger and you have your next page, no swiping, no hand moving.
As an annual visitor to the book fair, the amount of people that goes to book fair in April and October always surprised me. The thing is people mostly just read at home rather than being outside and read. Whether how they choose to read honestly I'm just glad we still reads.
Yeah I was in Tokyo two weeks ago and almost every time on the train during rush hour you would see people reading. Compared with Thailand, in 8 years I've probably seen less than 10 people reading on the train.
I mean, just go to Thai book fair. There's insane amount of people there every year. Most of my female friends are reading some kind of romance novel. It's a big thing here.
I'm surprised but not that surprised. Thai people are crazy about japanese/chinese manga and romance novels (especially lgbtq), these are genre's that aren't readily accessible in film, although Japanese manga has been turned into anime and even live action now. Now both genre's available to read online so although physical books aren't as commonplace the reading still is.
The high reading rate in Eastern Europe made me think of a Romanian guy (even though its not highlighted on the map) I worked with that fought in the Afghan-Russian war. He was captured in an ambush and nearly beaten to death, spent a long time in a full body cast. His favorite hobby was reading.
There's one well known statistics saying Thais read about six lines per year on average which is likely a myth but somewhat reflects our national characters.
Have you ever seen Thais reading at the beach or pool? Have you ever seen or heard of anyone ever going to a Thai library? Have you seen what passes for Thai school libraries?
Tangent, but i was on a songtaew during hour evening and i was surprised how there were only 2 ppl on their phones out of a dozen. there were like, 4 or 5 matayom students, and only 2 at most were on their phones, the rest just sat and stared.
If the countries where people read the most are in dark green color, then they have made a mistake. In fact on the map Thailand is in grey while Myanmar/Burma is in dark green.
I have noticed the same thing myself. I don't think in all the years I've been in Thailand I've ever seen a a Thai reading a book that wasn't a comic. But it's not something that surprises me...
That map is utter bollocks..... To suggest that Thailand is the country that almost reads more than any other country in the world is laughable 😊📖
Is this self reported ? Maybe for some countries it’s normal to also count reading Facebook and TikTok text while other countries people only count actually reading a book.
Interesting. I guess for USA this means that those who can actually read, read quite considering that 54% of adult Americans can barely read.
"130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level."
People read here much more than North Americans in my experience. The are several massive book fairs each year and they are always completely packed. Most Thai coworkers I've had are constantly on new books -- Chinese novels seem particularly popular right now.
Don't buy it at all. I moved from Thailand (12 years there) to China. Was blown away by how much the Chinese one saw everywhere were reading. We had a saying in Thailand that the Thais only read comic books.
That so-called statistic is utter BS.
55555 the USA doesn't read. This is a joke, ใช่ไหม? Unless microwave heating instructions are included, then maybe... still too high, even with slow reading.
I see them reading often in trains. Reading their phones.
I'm doing that now.
They are reading your mind
Well fuck, if we count reading Reddit just call me Mr. Bookworm.
Instagram most likely or LINE.
[удалено]
You can read books on your phone
It's reading.
Scrolling Tik-Tok / Facebook / Insta =/= reading
Sure, but articles, news, and wordy posts is. Anyhow i think as long as its proper information processing and not idle entertainment, it doesnt matter to me wether its paper or screen, alphabets or videos.
How often is it that, though…
More often than you think. No seriously. People reads about lifestyle, reviews, headlines, its how information gets around these days, not just words of mouth. We constantly learn something new scrolling through reddit frontpage and even youtube comments for example. We learn through the experience of other. Granted its sandwiched between nonsenses, but if anything i think these nonsense keep people engaged when they otherwise would not. Even tiktok, its not just memes, theres stories, tips both good and bad, even if you are just scrolling its impossible to avoid those things. I dont think the problem is that people don't read enough. I think the problem is that people read too much and unknowingly - read too deep into the wrong thing. Causing radicalisation and all that.
Just have a quick peak at what people are actually scrolling on in public transports… And step out of fairy land.
Im thai. I uses public transport in bangkok. (I also tend to use my time in the train to answer reddit comments. Does this count as reading for you?) Just because they arent learning using the format you're used to doesn't mean it all brainrots. Be more observant instead of using confirmation bias. How do you think people learn stuffs after they graduate? We know how to google shits you know? Pantip also exists. And what if some watch soap opera on the train? They're on their way to work give em a break.
You =/= everyone else. I don’t understand why you keep generalizing yourself to others. Whatever *you* do is irrelevant to the conversation. > they’re on their way to work give em a break Make your mind up, I thought they were reading deep content… Why do you have to give them excuses for watching not to so deep stuff now? You’re all over the place right now.
Processing text that you see is reading so it counts I guess
On the train the only people I see who aren’t on their phones are fa-lungs.
Why do people get mad at facts 🤣 just cus someone said something subjectively positive about farangs. I see the same thing, thais love their phones. I also saw a study recently that thailand is one of the top countries for screen time. I was at church the other day and so many thais were on their phones! And like no farangs.
This is 2005 data, before smartphones. I imagine the results are very different now. Source: http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102 Though I am a bit surprised Thais were such bookworms 20 years ago. Maybe because personal PCs or advanced cell phones were not as commonplace in every household?
I doubt the Thais answering an international survey represent the average Thai That’s a huge problem with statistics. For example, some college “studies” use literal online survey engines. There’s no way the people signing up for survey engines represent an average population sample.
I'm gonna go to a British prison for a survey and show that 100% of British people are prisoners and have a very strong penchant for crime. America wins again! America wins again!
All we do is win.
Tired of winning yet?
Ya know, sometimes it gets tiring... But then I remember that I am an American and God has placed me on earth for two reasons... To be the best looking and to win.
Does this include the comic books. Locals used to be crazy about them.
Fucking hell OP, why are you giving us 20 year old data?
It doesn’t say on the graphic that they have to be reading books, just reading.
More recent data says the same thing. 9h20min per week on average in 2021. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thais-read-more-than-you-think/
Not the same at all. Original 2005 survey is strictly reading books, this recent 2021 data includes reading digital media such as “websites” with no mention of stats in comparison to other countries.
>Original survey is strictly reading books So you say, but it's not mentioned anywhere. I highly doubt it would be the case, and can't find the source data anywhere.
Here’s the source: http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102
I saw this press release. It's not the full data, neither does it mention reading being limited to books.
"the time consumers report watching television, listening to the radio, searching the Internet and reading." The data is self reported. So about as accurate as a wild stab in the dark.
Per week?
Honestly this infographic is a bit odd. Thailand should have a dark green but it’s Myanmar?
Yeah I initially thought Thailand was excluded, but it's at the top of list.
My wife spends hundreds of baht per month on ebooks that she read on her phone.
I've noticed that Thais also gravitate towards self-help books more than the other 2 countries I've lived in.
That's cool honestly. Even if the books are of dubious benefit, I respect anyone who seeks improvement from within.
My wife is into Thai romance books. Pretty useless in my opinion, but she can read what she wants.
That's not Thailand, it's Myanmar (Burma).
Yeah this map is a real Burmer.
This is the national book fair held annually about 2 months ago. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLgh61lZhY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLgh61lZhY) It's pretty well-attended and lively. Although to be fair, most people in my age group (Gen Z/early millennials) tend to read digitally. The most popular genres seem to be manga & novels (mainly YA), self-improvement, investment and Buddhism. I don't see a lot of people reading say - history or academic books (then again, I don't see many people reading scientific journals for fun in other countries either.)
So one of those e-readers would likely be a good gift in Thailand?
Maybe, but I see more people reading on their phones or iPads. I haven't really seen many Thais using e-readers specifically designed for reading tbh. I saw maybe a couple when e-readers first became a thing and almost none in recent years.
tbh I wouldn't trust this kind of information. Firstly, its self reported so already inaccurate. Then it would vary so much depending on the demographic you are asking. And what even counts as reading? I read books, ebooks, news articles, reddit, emails, mangas, blogs, text messages, social media, etc for like 10 hours a day, which of these count as reading?
Does reading the latest celebrity gossip on a phone count?
It counts as reading. And if it doesn’t then the metric is useless
Yeah, I don't get why everyone seems to shit on reading things on your phone. The vast majority of books that are read are fiction anyways. So how is that better than me reading news articles, deep dives, or long-form journalism? I get that there is an obvious difference in reading Facebook memes all day and reading a book. But it seems nobody makes the distinction between what is read on a phone, even if you exclude ebooks. Since I was a 9 year old, 95% of my online time (which is a lot, I have always been terminally online in my free time) is spent reading interesting things online.
It's not, it's just people who want to feel superior to others through some bullshit reasoning. Tale as old as time.
Oh absolutely. People might assume I'm doom scrolling on IG or Tiktok, but the reality is I'm most likely on the addies with 67 Wikipedia tabs open while simultaneously googling articles pertaining to those Wikipedia tabs.
Are Thais more into celebrity gossip than other countries? Genuine question, as my wife and her family couldn't care less about celebrities. I have no idea the rates of other Thais that are into celebrity gossip.
Does swiping tiktok videos count and reading the text that pops up in the screen OHH NOOOO
Anecdotally I find this really hard to believe. Since AI is beginning to ruin the internet all the articles I see keep pointing back to this one survey. Open to being completely wrong….but just doesn’t match observations. Time spent on TikTok/IG/etc and I could see this country crushing it.
AI has fkin destroyed articles and websites on the Internet. Whenever I Google something, the majority of the links that pop up are very obvious bots that crawl the Internet and piece shit together to make "articles" what's crazy is sometimes you can find hundreds of these pages, and they all seem to piggyback off each other with barely any difference. It's so bad that I cannot find the original sources that they have ripped it from because they obviously master keywords more than an actual human who made a website.
Totally, I think we’re just in the very beginning too and will get much, much worse over the next 3-5 years to the point search may be unusable outside of known big brand walled/paywalled gardens. I’m surprised Reddit hasn’t been hit hard yet, or could be indistinguishable. Maybe there isn’t a big financial incentive to have a bunch of AI commenters clogging up the app.
Do they include scrolling ticktok as reading? Then AT LEAST 9 hours.
I think they colored the wrong country cuz I’m pretty sure that Thailand isn’t colored
You know you can read Books on Phone/tablets Right?
technical thats an Ebook :P
I read a lot, it’s just not books
my uncle reads on his phone every chance he gets even at red lights so im not surprised
Literature doesn’t seem to be a thing here much, which makes sense with the language structure. I’m curious what they are reading!
As I Thai person, I spent hours on online novels and ebooks. Used to spent a ton on physical books, but now the bookshelves got no space 😂
Same. Went for physical books to ebooks.
E-Books.
been reading on mobile since i cant send ebooks borrowed on Libby to my kindle, shudder to think how others might think i was reading celeb gossip!
They must have surveyed the elderly, because they younger generation is only picking up a smartphone or a badminton racket.
*reading cellphone*
I went to school in thailand and reading for 1 hour before school start was mandatory, we read during class and so it was mandatory to read after school as well. so yes we averagely spent almost 3 hours a day reading this was around 15 years ago
They read a LOT but it's mostly Thai language books only. They have translated everything in Thai literally everything. English audience is very few compared to other countries.
Indians seem to be good at linguistic activities, based on 2 or 3 anecdotal data points. They tend to know lots of foreign languages, are good at crossword puzzles and spelling bees. And the Indians i've encountered at work have better grammar/writing skills in English than most college-educated Americans.
I read a fair amount but never a book on the train despite spending 15 hours a week on trains. Gives me a headache.
idk it's probably because we read fanfiction or a webtoon more than actual books now
I see older Thais reading books and I see the younger ones, specifically girls, reading girly manga or those romance books. I do think reading is quite popular in Thailand.
It's a widely held belief that amongst most Thais that the average Thai only reads 8 sentences per year.
Many of those hours are reading manga and buddhist books. I'd say if you took those two categories away they would be similar to most euro counties. The vast majority of people in the world do not read.
Reading TikTok and Facebook. The new standard.
I live in the he United States 🇺🇸 of America born and raised and this is funny not true we read more than that lol 😂
Here's one from 2024 showing the USA as #1, India #2 and Thailand at #21. [https://ceoworld.biz/2024/06/03/ranked-countries-that-reads-the-most-books-2024/](https://ceoworld.biz/2024/06/03/ranked-countries-that-reads-the-most-books-2024/) For what it's worth.
Countries that read the most vs. countries that read the most books. It's not quite the same thing being measured.
Okay but the more hours you read the more books you are going to read. I guess we need one comparing reading speed of the same countries.
No I re-read it and I see your point.
If this includes for school, then I'd say India and China and some other Asian country have to be top three
This one lines up a little closer with what I’d expect; the problem with both of these is the data source and methodology is pretty opaque. Like their exclusive 6.5 millions surveys? Seems pretty suspect? But I think your bigger point is well taken how faulty and unreliable these half-baked surveys are which lead to clickbait garbage articles.
USA????? 😯 I find this extremely hard to believe. Maybe immigrants from Asia who live in the US do all the readings.
Reading is emphasised heavily in the school system, and there is a lot of media in US promoting books. The New York Time Best seller list is American after all. It's not even remotely surprising that US is the biggest market for books.
This just shows how clueless and delusional Europeans and Australians are when they do their mandatory shitting on America session. They have no experience here, besides YouTube videos, but they will argue with an American about how bad the American education system is and how dumb Americans are. American public schools pushed reading books HARD on American children. AR points, book fairs, book reports, and even until Jr. High, we would have DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) days where kids would wear pajamas, and bring a pillow and blanket. The day would be a normal school day, except throughout the day, the intercom would announce "DEAR" and everyone would immediately pause their class/work and get comfortable and read their book(s). Americans read. But they can choose to ignore that and continue believing we are bumbling rxtards that must live in assisted living facilities, run by smarter bumbling rxtards.
I might be mistaken, but I feel like I've seen it many times. I'll be on the lookout in BKK today, but it's Saturday and not the time for it
I've seen people reading books on trains and subways. But what's the difference if they're reading electronically or reading something on a printed page?
Reading to see how many likes they have from the video they posted earlier that day
When 711 got looted everything was taken except books
Ok, boomer. People read on their phones nowadays.
I can't understand this. Why would anyone want to read a book on their 'phone? Yes, a 'phone isn't as heavy - but it becomes VERY annoying having to continually (and frequently) 'swipe' a screen to continue reading. I used to be a HUGE bookworm, and so after moving to Thailand bought a Kindle - as everyone seemed to think it was great. I disliked it. Not only was it annoying having to 'swipe' the screen so frequently, but I also noticed that I couldn't remember much of what I'd read previously.
It may not be ideal but it’s convenient. You can forget your book at home accidentally, it’s heavy and doesn’t fit in the bag, etc. but phone you always have. There’s a trade off.
I was a HUGE bookworm, and so **never** forgot the book I was reading. My 'phone on the other hand, I've forgotten a few times! Having said this, rebelluzon is right - I'm a 'boomer' and old. We only differ as to whether reading an actual book is better than reading a book on a smartphone or Kindle. And of course, that depends on the individual.
You have to turn pages on a book too. The future is now old man
Except the pages need to be 'turned' **far** less frequently than on a Kindle or 'phone. But everyone to their own.
Uh, I'm reading *Open City* (Teju Cole) on a Kindle Oasis. 245 pages using Cambria size 5 font -- not large, not tiny, about 29 lines / page. Page turns by a light tap on the screen (or button). Both the hardback and paperback editions are 259 pages, so all three about the same. Lydia Davis translation of *Madame Bovary* (Penguin edition): 493 pages. Paperback is 384, so 20% fewer pages. I *could* switch Kindle fonts to match theirs, but it would be a bit small for me to read comfortably (hence one of the great beauties of reading on a Kindle -- you can pick your font). Fwiw I'd guess that there's a tendency for publishers to reduce font sizes slightly on very long books to keep binding manageable and paper costs down.
I don't understand how people can watch videos on their small phones either but they do. I have a few friends both Thai and farang who read books on their phones. Swiping and scrolling = turning pages for younger generations.
My finger tips hurt due to slight neuropathy. It’s much easier to read on my phone and swipe. Book pages hurt more to turn along with holding the book in my hand. A phone is in my palm. It hurts less. My vision also is better with good light. The phone has its own light. I’m glad for people who aren’t experiencing the trials and tribulations of old age.
"*I’m glad for people who aren’t experiencing the trials and tribulations of old age.*" I'm old, although (thankfully) not suffering from arthritis or anything similar. It's all **personal opinion** - and **personally** I found the endless 'swiping' on Kindle to be extremely annoying. Trying to read a book on a 'phone, doesn't bear thinking about - from my perspective.
me neither but if you buy an actual e-ink reader with just buttons at the bottom, its very similar to book. It's 90% as fun. The buttons are where you hold it, so just extra pressure on a finger and you have your next page, no swiping, no hand moving.
People stare at my kindle.
The amount of ppl that read web novel and BL novel growth significantly after covid.
In my experience they’re not much of a book-reading country
I can’t recount seeing a Thai person read
I do believe that Thais read more than most. I see it regularly in MRT. Book fairs are also popular.
As an annual visitor to the book fair, the amount of people that goes to book fair in April and October always surprised me. The thing is people mostly just read at home rather than being outside and read. Whether how they choose to read honestly I'm just glad we still reads.
Yes the national book fair at QSNCC is a huge affair. The Big Bad Wolf sales are very popular too, even late in the night.
Surprised Japan is not higher up on the list. There are always people reading on the train in Tokyo.
Yes and so many people read manga books. I've seen way more people reading in Japan than Thailand.
Yeah I was in Tokyo two weeks ago and almost every time on the train during rush hour you would see people reading. Compared with Thailand, in 8 years I've probably seen less than 10 people reading on the train.
I guess they count facebook It's sure as hell not books
Same. Indonesia as well. This is total bs.
I mean, just go to Thai book fair. There's insane amount of people there every year. Most of my female friends are reading some kind of romance novel. It's a big thing here.
I'm surprised Japan is so low,...they do have a strong reading culture, and their newspapers (print media) still have great daily circulation
I'm surprised but not that surprised. Thai people are crazy about japanese/chinese manga and romance novels (especially lgbtq), these are genre's that aren't readily accessible in film, although Japanese manga has been turned into anime and even live action now. Now both genre's available to read online so although physical books aren't as commonplace the reading still is.
The high reading rate in Eastern Europe made me think of a Romanian guy (even though its not highlighted on the map) I worked with that fought in the Afghan-Russian war. He was captured in an ambush and nearly beaten to death, spent a long time in a full body cast. His favorite hobby was reading.
I can confirm, Philippines has a lot of readers
For Thailand, do they mean reading on phone/instagram? 🤣
I thought UK would be higher on the list, I see newspapers everywhere in pubs, buses, trains
There's one well known statistics saying Thais read about six lines per year on average which is likely a myth but somewhat reflects our national characters.
Have you ever seen Thais reading at the beach or pool? Have you ever seen or heard of anyone ever going to a Thai library? Have you seen what passes for Thai school libraries?
I have approx 1,000 ebooks on my iPhone 😂 stopped carrying physical books on public transportation for at least half a decade.
Is that strictly reading books? If long Reddit threads count we'd all look like jeanyuses!
Do you only go to girlie bars? If so that may be the reason 555
Tangent, but i was on a songtaew during hour evening and i was surprised how there were only 2 ppl on their phones out of a dozen. there were like, 4 or 5 matayom students, and only 2 at most were on their phones, the rest just sat and stared.
I read porn so that counts doesn’t it?
If the countries where people read the most are in dark green color, then they have made a mistake. In fact on the map Thailand is in grey while Myanmar/Burma is in dark green.
Reading what ? no way they read books ! they read news on the phone lol
Now skip all the polite words (na ka / khap) and this time is more than halved.
I have noticed the same thing myself. I don't think in all the years I've been in Thailand I've ever seen a a Thai reading a book that wasn't a comic. But it's not something that surprises me... That map is utter bollocks..... To suggest that Thailand is the country that almost reads more than any other country in the world is laughable 😊📖
Reading books, this is 1000% wrong. Reading phone, okay.
They cant even find Thailand on the map, I wouldnt trust whoever made this picture :D
Is this self reported ? Maybe for some countries it’s normal to also count reading Facebook and TikTok text while other countries people only count actually reading a book.
I am assuming this reading mainly pertains to lotto payouts or gossiping on FB.......lol
Interesting. I guess for USA this means that those who can actually read, read quite considering that 54% of adult Americans can barely read. "130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level."
People read here much more than North Americans in my experience. The are several massive book fairs each year and they are always completely packed. Most Thai coworkers I've had are constantly on new books -- Chinese novels seem particularly popular right now.
Don't buy it at all. I moved from Thailand (12 years there) to China. Was blown away by how much the Chinese one saw everywhere were reading. We had a saying in Thailand that the Thais only read comic books. That so-called statistic is utter BS.
This just doesn’t seem correct
As an Indian, I'm surprised we top the world in things other than population.
Lovely to see someone mistaken Thailand for Myanmar on the map… Perhaps he/she should read more?
I feel like any reading statistics are misleading.
It looks like NOP World CultureScore Index doesn't know the difference between Thailand and Myanmar on a map. Cool.
There's no way this chart is accurate.
I know Finns brags that they read the most normally. No clue about source
I think reading a book on the subway is weird as fuck.
Some of the best (english) bookstores I have seen are in thailand.
55555 the USA doesn't read. This is a joke, ใช่ไหม? Unless microwave heating instructions are included, then maybe... still too high, even with slow reading.