I was watching the idiot box last night (like an idiot) and saw an advert I'd never seen before. I think it was fate because I usually mute the commercials when they come on. Anyway, it was a commercial advertising a new App called Blinkist. The App condenses non-fiction books to the "key takeaways" or "key ideas" allowing someone to gain just those key concepts in a shorter time period so that people can "fit reading into their life." Those are the claims on the commercial anyway.
The non-fiction books that have been decimated to the key-takeaways have been curated by industry experts and one can read (or listen) to titles specifically chosen for you. The short video claims that you'll have the world's knowledge in the palm of your hand.
Just to clarify for those that may not know what non-fiction means, (or have not yet read about it on the Blinkist App)...Non-fiction refers to writing based on the truth or accuracy of the events, people, or information presented within the book or text.
So, I have two thoughts on this Blinkist thing...
Is reading so unfashionable these days that mankind needs to limit the amount they do? Also, is gaining true knowledge and understanding so unimportant and disinteresting that we need to have it packaged up neatly in a key-takeaway format to limit the time we waste gaining it?
Do we need the information we gain to be specifically chosen for us by some App algorithm or hamsters on a spinning wheel or however they do it?
What the actual f^^k.
OK, yes I know that's actually three points but it's my blog and I'm applying poetic license which means I can do whatever I want to.
Of course I'm not an idiot, (except for the TV watching thing as above), and so I understand how unpopular reading is these days. Reading rates right at the bottom of the list of importance to humans with things like:
- Face-to-face socialising
- Courtesy and manners
- Respect
- Generosity
- Hard work
Reading, could never compete with selfies, Instagram, hubris, narcissism, computer games, drug taking, infidelity, Facebook, greed and the multitude of distractions and other qualities that seem to have taken over mankind and become valued essentials.
The beauty of it is that it's not free, Blinkist I mean, so people can buy it whilst also satisfying another of modern society's plague's...Consumerism. Sounds perfect! It's really a win-win-win situation isn't it? The developers make piles of money and consumers get to purchase! Nothing like that old-favourite neurotransmitter surge of Dopamine huh! And the third win? Well, that one is easy..It's the fact that users don't need to have a single independent thought. Ever. They can be spoon-fed their information via corporation-media-outlets, government and Blinkist. Oh man, how sweet is life now!
You can probably tell I'm not that impressed with this App. I don't know if it's a new thing or just a new spin on some other App but I don't understand mankind's insistence on cutting corners all the time. Seriously. Is this the precursor to not reading at all? Probably.
Think about it...Most people don't know how to write these days; The correct use of punctuation and spelling I mean. People stick their faces in their phones and call it social when in fact it's anti-social. And now one of the greatest sources of knowledge, reading, is being abbreviated, abridged, contracted, cut, pruned, trimmed, pared, condensed, summarised, and reduced..For what? So we have more time to fit reading into our lives. Pathetic.
Snapshot from the Blinkist interwebs page
Yes, yes I know there's probably plenty of advocates out there who can't wait to get onto Blinkist and start "reading" and I'm sure they will get a great deal of knowledge for their investment...Well, they'll only get the key takeaways to be honest although maybe for them that will be enough.
I won't pay for Blinkist, nor would I use it for free, or if they paid me to use it for that matter. Sure, I have limited time in life and reading takes up some of it but I still prefer to gain my understanding of things the old fashioned way; By reading it (all) and determining what information is important to me from what I have read. Skipping through a text or book to get only the key ideas as Blinkist does sounds like cheating but then that concept seems to align magnificently with most people's ethos so maybe it's totally legit..
Here's the link to Blinkist where a whole world of key-takeaways awaits the modern-day seeker of knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
P.s. I may be a part-owner of the App, but pay that no mind...Knowledge awaits you on Blinkest. Buy it now.
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