I

firstly read the article entitled “Reading culture: a long journey to a developing country” last Saturday, Oct. 15, with two of my colleagues in a coffee shop.

The three of us agreeed with almost all the points that Betsy Sahetapy, the author, provided in the article. It’s true that perhaps most of us, especially youngsters, are interested in reading books.

But Betsy forgets that today’s youngsters are also occupied with the Internet and television. The attention of most of these young people is drawn toward these channels.

I agree with the thoughts of Filipo Giancarlo in his letter of Oct. 18. Betsy has disregarded the affect of technology in today’s living. I believe that the presence of smartphones, tablets and netbooks, all supported with an Internet connection, have revolutionized our reading culture. Recently, audiences have become less interested in reading printed books. They are more captivated by reading handy and mobile electronic books.

My point is, Betsy might have limited the definition of a reading culture. The way we read has changed over time. And in this digital era, reading electronic books wins over reading printed ones. But still, both involve the same process of reading. The essence of reading is, in my opinion, to engage with ideas and discover new perspectives. The physical appearance of the medium, whether than be in book form or something else, does not really matter.

However, I disagree with Giancarlo’s point regarding the suppression of television or other media. I am optimistic that among the majority of poor quality programs on our TV, there are still some good ones. I have seen some. Also, TV is another channel from which we can learn new perspectives, just like the essence of reading. Blaming TV for bad education is not adequate as it does not solve the problem.

In the process of becoming a developed country, freedom of thinking and deep engagement with thoughtful discussion and debate are essential.

Gilang Reffi Hernanda
Jakarta