Literate practices of the technological society: reading consumption in higher education

Abstract

This research is based on the hypothesis that the cognitive processes that depend upon analog reading are very different from those required by digital, fragmented, and non-hierarchical. It also aims to pay attention to the relationship established with the medium and the support that enables multimedia, rhizomatic, and non-linear structures. The investigation focuses on the study of the personal connection maintaining pupils with reading habits from various sectors, such as playful, academic, and participatory, in order, through consumption, to define the reading practice, emphasizing reading as a cultural fact of the so-called Generation Z – besides currently conducting university studies. The informants of this mixed character investigation are configured as a plural group and with an international character. The analysis shows information on the reading behavior, commitment to the reading of digital visitors or residents and the impact of the nature of the medium on reading comprehension.