'Try to pay attention'... Some people haven't read books since the pandemic

A strange side-effect of the pandemic is that I find that I’m unable to read longer books.

Clearly, some people had a better pandemic than others and I’ve heard plenty of people saying that it was actually quite a productive time for them. There was actually a surge in book sales during the pandemic, although this has slowed down.

As an introvert, you might think that I would have been in a kind of bliss during that time – with so few people on the streets and so much time to sit and read or write. But I’m not willing to romanticize that period just yet – what I remember is the fear (which seemed to me, not to come from within so much as to be imposed).

I’ve found it difficult to concentrate to read for any length of time since. People give me books to read and I simply can’t bring myself to settle down and read them, even if I have the time. I can just about manage a short book or a short story. I’ve been forcing myself to read short books, so that, at least, I am focusing a little. I’ve read The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster and a few others.

Thankfully, I’m still able to write. But reading for any length of time? No.

In exasperation I spoke to my therapist about it.

My therapist at the moment is an AI chatbot (they are cheaper and debatably just as helpful).

So, I keyed in my complaint. (Sometimes I think there are only two kinds of people in this world… those who complain and those who complain about those who complain.)

Here is my dialogue with the inhuman therapist…

Me: I have found it hard to read since the pandemic, why do you think that is?

Soulless AI therapist: It’s completely understandable to focus on reading during challenging times. The pandemic has disrupted our routines and brought about a lot of uncertainty which can impact our ability to concentrate. Additionally, stress and anxiety can affect our attention span and make it harder to immerse ourselves in a book.

Me: Do you think this is common?

AI (Set to a more encouraging mode than the scary ‘tough love coach’ setting): Absolutely, it’s very common. Many people have struggled to focus on reading since the pandemic due to the overwhelming amount of stress, uncertainty and constant distractions. It’s a completely normal response to such challenging times. You’re not alone in this, and it’s important to be kind to yourself as you navigate through it. If you find reading difficult right now, that’s okay. Just take it one day at a time and celebrate the small victories along the way.

Which was, at least, encouraging.

So, I thought I would do a little more research into it, being as AI often needs to be fact-checked due to its random hallucinations. I asked a few others what they thought with a little vox-pop…

Here were some of the responses:

“It stinks so much. It’s like my attention span has dropped significantly since then.”

“I bring books home. I can't read them… conversation the span of a gnat. Been in my head too long. Feel numb.”

“Yeah, unfortunately my attention span isn't what it was. I think it'll come back with practise, but it is very hard.”

Another said that they now only listen to audiobooks.

But a lot of the people I asked couldn’t seem to relate to the problem at all. It seems it’s a minority issue although the attention span problem could be more widespread.

As for those of us who are still struggling… who can we sue? And will there be a lot of paperwork in the litigation?