Skim Reading - Bad Habit?

[IbnAbdulHakim]

Assalamu Alaikum


Recently I have gotten into the habit of skim reading pretty much everything I read (Except Quran and Hadith). For example if I pick up a news paper, or read an article, or find a leaflet or even the job notes at my work place (because the job comes down with a list of notes which must be taken into consideration) I keep skimming everything.




Im just wondering if skimming has any bad affects? I tried google it but couldnt find anything.

The only thing is I might be missing out on a lot of information lol.

 

[Ramadan90]

Internet transforms the way we think and manage information. Our ability to focus on one thing over an extended period of time shortens the more we are online. We are bombarded with information all the time and that weaken your ability to focus and reed deeper. But one part of the brain that makes decisions for example is getting better(should I click this link or that?). I would say that it not not worth it though. We are losing an invalueable skill.

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

by "read deeper" you mean to be able to understand, comprehend and contemplate over what we read?


That was my fear, I am seriously considering from now on reading very little, very slowly.

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

You know what it feels like now when I read? Its like my eyes are constantly trying to move ahead when my brain hasnt even finished digesting.

 

[PouringRain]

Skimming is ever increasing caused by the fact that we have so much information being thrown at us on a daily basis. We simply do not have time to read everything, so we skim. We may read a headline, or a first line, and then skim down to the end, where we then hunt for the conclusion or bottom line. The bad thing is that often we may be missing valuable information. How many times have you had someone reply to an e-mail, and it is clear from their reply that they never read yours? Or maybe you have been the one to reply to someone after not having read theirs?

There is nothing wrong with skimming things, but use discernment on what is important enough to read and what is not. In a business situation, you may want to actually read rather than skim.


I bolded some things just in case you decided to skim my post. It will jump out at you and you will not miss it.

 

[PouringRain]

You know what it feels like now when I read? Its like my eyes are constantly trying to move ahead when my brain hasnt even finished digesting.

Try reading out loud. It will force you to slow down and actually read. There are actually benefits to reading out loud.

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

^ yes lol thats another thing (I read all your post btw )


another thing is everyone now feels the need to bold and italicise and underline their writing so that what they really want to say isnt missed. I do it myself so much. We always put emphasis in the fear of the skim reader

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

Try reading out loud. It will force you to slow down and actually read. There are actually benefits to reading out loud.

but I dont like sounding like a weirdo mg:

 

[PouringRain]

^ yes lol thats another thing (I read all your post btw )


another thing is everyone now feels the need to bold and italicise and underline their writing so that what they really want to say isnt missed. I do it myself so much. We always put emphasis in the fear of the skim reader

I bolded it as a joke, but you are correct. People do all sorts of things to make certain parts stand out so that the skim reader will not miss those key points. I don't know that I would call it fear of the skim reader. More like, for the ease of the skim reader. It is like saying that if there is ONE thing to take away, then pay attention to this highlighted/underlined/bolded/italicized/pinkstriped part.

but I dont like sounding like a weirdo mg:

Once upon a time all reading was done out loud.

 

[Alpha Dude]

I do it all the time. I'm sure a lot of people do. I skim read all the posts in this thread.

Sometimes you can get the gist of what someone is trying to say without needing to read or listen to every word either in written or spoken communication.

Only when someone says something interesting, I feel motivated enough to hang on every word in case I don't miss anything. Other times, I get bored. Especially when someone draws out a long sentence but what they say has no value.

 

[dqsunday]

Skimming over something is basically just doing a quick scan to get the gist of the content. I really don't feel it has anything to do with the internet, or using computers etc.

The only down side, is if you skim over something you can and do, miss out on all contents of that block of text. Its also a quick way to determine if something is worth reading more closely. Often, the first line of a paragraph and the last is all that is really needed to get the gist of the paragraph 'message'. Assuming of course the paragraph is written with proper grammar. Seen many people write huge paragraphs...yet grammatically, it should be several paragraphs. So skimmy shortcuts don't always work as well, especially when reading unedited content.

Overall, I am far more worried about the use of excessive 'netspeak' and 'text message shortforms'.

 

[Endymion]

My thoughts exactly

I do it all the time. I'm sure a lot of people do. I skim read all the posts in this thread.

Sometimes you can get the gist of what someone is trying to say without needing to read or listen to every word either in written or spoken communication.

Only when someone says something interesting, I feel motivated enough to hang on every word in case I don't miss anything. Other times, I get bored. Especially when someone draws out a long sentence but what they say has no value.