"The development of the Internet has its ups and downs, advantages and disadvantages," said Wu Jinglian, one of China's preeminent economists, at the 24th National Book Trade Fair.
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| Wu Jinglian (left), one of the preeminent economists in China, and Wang Meng (right), a famous Chinese writer, discusses the reading behavior of the Internet era during the 24th National Book Trade Fair.(Photo/chinadaily.com.cn |
Wu talks about reading behavior in the Internet era during the book fair's reader meeting. He said, the Internet is good for the exchange of information, collision of ideas and spreading of knowledge, but it also causes harm. Pursuing interests while avoiding dangers is a top task.
The development of Internet technology has changed the reading behavior of many people. Digital books are more and more popular, which has challenged the print market.
The overwhelming information on the Internet has led to a fast food culture in which people more likely scan random information in their spare time, but refuse to sit down and have a decent read.
"I hope more and more valuable and attractive works will be written, instead of overwhelming fast food works," said Wu.
Wang Meng, a famous Chinese writer, said, "In the Internet era, people more likely browse rather than read. However, reading is very different from browsing, as it can cause deep thinking, while browsing only engages people on the surface."
Wu has confidence in the publishing industry under the circumstance of Internet development, "E-book readers such as the Kindle are a good combination of digitalization and reading, so there still is broad space for print media in the Internet era."
