What We Read When We're Not Reading

On Reading Well pt.IV - How Social Media Vies for Our Attention and How to Use That to Our Advantage

What We Read When We're Not Reading

I recently downloaded an app called one sec. Now every time I try and open Twitter or Instagram my phone vibrates and the screen is locked for a few seconds, before I’m asked whether I want to continue to said social media platform, close the app, or choose from a list of other apps I have curated which might be more productive. At present one sec diverts me about 30% of the time, and has decreased the number of times I click on the icon by 21% for Twitter and 34% for Instagram. Overall that means I’m using Social Media about half as much as a was prior to downloading the app. I rarely recommend anything, let alone apps, but if you have an iPhone and a proclivity to scroll through Twitter a dozen times an hour, this might be worth a try.

This article isn’t about the app, but lays the foundation for a question I’ve had to ask myself as a result of using it. That question being, “What is the primary draw of Social Media which keeps bringing me back?” This question obviously isn’t quite as simple as it might sound, I use Twitter and Instagram for both my writing work and also my day job, so that’s fair enough I think. I also have friends who I only communicate with on social media, and so that’s a fair reason. Neither of those explains why I scroll through reels or the trending page though.

What it comes down to, and I don’t think I’m alone in this, is that in the moments when I don’t have the time, energy, or ability to sit down and read a book, talk to someone, or do something otherwise productive, there will always be something new to consume on social media which can always fill up that time. It’s not fun most of the time, it’s not always interesting, but it is short.

I don’t like leaving things unfinished, yesterday Anna walked in while I was watching a TV show and I had about 47 seconds left to go before she asked me a question. “Could you just give me one minute Schatz¹? I just need to finish this show, then I can talk.” That’s also the reason I don’t like taking a book with me into the bathroom, unless it’s something short or I’m already nearing the end of the chapter, because I’m simply not flush with time when I’m on the loo. This need for something to fill my attention at every given second isn’t a good thing, in fact Social Media probably trained it into me—and probably into you—in the first place, but surely there’s a better way to deal with it.

This brings us all the way to where we began.

What do you read when you’re not reading?

I was recently reading about Ceefax, the teletext service which existed before the internet, which Brits used through the latter part of the 20th century to scroll through the news, the sports results, and various other tidbits of information like exchange rates and local weather forecasts.

It was simple, it was ugly, but it worked. It delivered information to the masses, 70 words at a time.

One former writer for the service remarked:

“…the way Ceefax worked, you might have a six-page feature, but someone could come in on page four. So every page had to be complete by itself and readable without anything before or after. When Twitter came along, we all found it incredibly easy.²”

That made me laugh, but it also got me thinking about what other kinds of short form media or writing are out there, and what might I be able to use to kill time more productively, albeit potentially not in such a horrendous format³.

Redemptive Replacements

Proverbs

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Pr 2:1–5.

It would be easy to say the Bible in general, but while I do think it’s important that we always be dwelling on and soaking in the word of God, it’s also important that we do so wisely. In fact, I think one of the worst ways, if not the worst way to read the Bible is the “verse of the day” method. I think it’s one of the quickest and surest ways to take the Bible out of context and learn to read it incorrectly. With that said, a notable semi-exception is Proverbs, whilst it’s still necessary to read Proverbs in it’s context, and it’s far easier to stop and start reading this book in a way it’s less possible with others. In fact, if reading sequentially, with 915 verses to get through, if you read let’s say ten verses every day on the loo, you’d be getting through Proverbs four times a year on average, which I think would be a profitable use of anyone’s time. In fact, that’s my plan from here on out. Feel free to ask me how it’s going in a few months time.

Anecdotes

“We have had praying kings in England: such as Alfred, Edward III. Henry V. Edward VI. and king William III. Christ himself is a praying king; who ever lives to make intercession for his people. He prays for his subjects, that they may be glorified eternally; and he prays for his elect rebels (those of his mystic body, who are yet unconverted) that they may be called effectually.”

Augustus M. Toplady, The Works of Augustus M. Toplady, (London; Edinburgh: William Baynes and Son; H. S. Baynes, 1825), 4:144–145.

There’s been a recent resurgence in the use and development of commonplace books, either physical or digital notebooks within which ministers, physicians, poets, entrepreneurs, and anyone else might jot down important information which they may need at a later date, either for use in other works—like sermons or books—or simply for personal education and edification. These are no new invention, but have been used by many men and women since around the reformation. Some of these are still available to us, and they include a plethora of different “anecdotes” some of which are half a page long, and other of which are no longer than a Tweet:

Adsum Try Ravenhill 🪶 @atravenhill

Good Mr. Rogers, the martyr, on the morning he was burnt, put on his clothes very carelessly; cheerfully saying, that “it mattered little how they were put on, seeing they were so soon to be put off for ever.” Such should be our attachment to all worldly things. Augustus Toplady

As you can tell, my favourite of the anecdote writers/collectors was Toplady, a cleric, a biographer, and a Hymn writer⁴. Another great example would be Spurgeon's book of Smooth Stones taken from Ancient Brooks, which is a collection of his favourite words from Thomas Brooks' writings.

Poetry

SEA SILENCE

“Spite wind- and rain-exposure
I scan her face immense;
She means no self-disclosure,
No voice nor message thence.

Soul, cease thy troubled asking,
No one was ever sure
What deep designs are masking
Her dalliance and her lure.

Would she to thee discover
What winds nor clouds she tells?
Be one brief spell her lover,
But more of someone else.”

Geerhardus Vos, Charis: English Verses, (Princeton, NJ: Geerhardus Vos, 1931), 11.

This will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s worth giving a try. Poetry, like all writing, comes in various forms and styles, as well as coming from varying degrees of talent. Tolkien’s poetry, for instance, seems to grasp readers almost universally in a way in which Shakespeare doesn’t. I grew up on the latter and so his sonnets are still sweet to me today, but you might need to look hard to find what resonates with you. My guess is that you either know you like poetry, or you know you don’t, but this is a worthwhile addition to this list as you may have drifted from poems for a long time without cause, and this might be what you need to prompt you to return.

Catechisms

Q.12. What are the decrees of God?

A. God’s decrees are the wise, free, and holy acts of the counsel of his will, whereby, from all eternity, he hath, for his own glory, unchangeably foreordained whatsoever comes to pass in time, especially concerning angels and men.

Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition, (Philadelphia: William S. Young, 1851), 172–173.

Growing up I was told that catechisms were anti-Christian and that I shouldn’t ever go near them. I have no idea what had given my church this idea, but nonetheless even well into adulthood I was wary of catechisms and anyone who used them. Until, that is, I opened one and found out how rich and wonderful they are. The simple question and answer format lends itself to memorisation and formation, and once again, though some are longer than others, in a quick moment you could pick up the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and instead of mindlessly scrolling for twenty minutes, you could—one question after another—learn more about God, the word, and the Church, or remind yourself of eternal truths.

In addition to obvious examples, another I would recommend is Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. Whilst not officially a Catechism, it takes a similar form and uses it to help to reader develop a robust resolve against the temptations and lies the enemy sends his way.

Kindle Notebook

If you read and highlight books on a kindle—or the app—then keep reading, if not, you might want to skip this.

Did you know that Kindle keeps all of your notes and highlights for you on a webpage which you can go back to at any time? If you click here and log into your account, you can find every sentence, paragraph, and witty anecdote you’ve ever taken that extra second to highlight only to forget about forever.

For some of you this page might be filled with years of these, in which case this is a perfect option for you. Here’s one example I took from Writing to Learn by William Zinsser:

Writing

Finally, instead of consumption, why not create? If you’re creative, why not jot down the first idea that comes to your head, then the next, and the next. Maybe 99% of them will be awful, but the more you write the more likely it is that you’ll come across the one which is awesome.

Quick tip here, make sure you explain yourself or you’ll just be confused when you come back to your ideas. Writing up titles for articles is all well and good, but a few months back I created a note to remind myself about an article idea to do with Family Worship… my wife and I don’t have any kids, so I’m not sure why this was on my radar. Point being, detail is your best friend here.

Speaking of friends, instead of shooting a tweet out to a thousand strangers, why not write an encouraging message to a brother or sister in your church, or your spouse, your kids, your parents, or whoever! You might get more likes on a Tweet—or not—but this way you might make someone’s day.

That’s all from me for today.

Grace and Peace,

Adsum Try Ravenhill

1. That’s what I call Anna, it’s a German pet name meaning treasure.

2. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/oct/20/ceefax-is-dead-long-live-ceefax-meet-the-fans-resurrecting-the-ingenious-service

3. Some British web developers have created an online version you can view yourself here: https://www.nathanmediaservices.co.uk/teletext-viewer/

4. Here’s an example: