In the earliest days of speed reading strategies, computers were nowhere near as popular as they are today. Back then people mainly read printed material like books and magazines and newspapers. Construction of the Information Superhighway was in its earliest stages. So when people needed information, they usually headed to the nearest library.
Today the opposite is true – and this has had an impact on how we select ideal speed reading strategies. Computers are everywhere and nearly everyone uses them. They’re at the office, they’re at home, they’re at school, they’re in hospitals, they’re out in the field, and they’re even taking center stage at libraries. Nowadays kids are learning to use computers even as they’re learning to talk. And seniors, who for so long had tried to resist them, now use computers just as easily and sometimes just as frequently as their teen-aged neighbors.
Right alongside the explosive growth in computer use has been an explosive growth of digital information. Thanks to the Internet, finding boatloads of information on any topic you can imagine is possible with just a search engine and a few mouse clicks. In literally a matter of seconds you can find more online content than you could ever find searching through those clunky card catalog files at the library.
But for all the good computers have done in terms of speed, efficiency and convenience they’ve created challenges for speed reading strategies. The instant availability of so much online information can quickly overwhelm readers and slow their reading progress.
With so much to sift through, it’s easy to become buried under piles of electronic paper. Plus, long hours spent staring at computer monitors can cause other problems including eye strain and fatigue, which further slow the reading process.
So, what’s a speed reader to do?
The answer is simple: learn to adapt.
Speed reading online doesn’t have to be inefficient or uncomfortable. Efficiency and comfort can both be enhanced by understanding how computer screens are different from paper and by learning newer techniques designed to facilitate onscreen reading.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD_IniFdcQM[/youtube]
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