We’re constantly consuming media in one form or another.
Books, TV, streaming, or (often) social media.
And as we consume this media, it’s important to consider how we engage with it.
Some argue that reading is just a hobby and not everyone critically thinks about every book they read or piece of media they consume.
But as someone who advocates for the critical consumption of media, I believe that we can both enjoy what we read and critically engage more deeply with it at the same time.
There’s a middle ground between reading for fun and reading critically, and it’s important to analyse media to make sure we continue to learn and grow as individuals.
This lack of nuance in the conversation around reading is glaring.
For one, the argument that you’re either reading for fun or reading critically (and that you can’t do both) is simply not true.
You can read for fun and still layer critical consumption on top of that.
Reviewing or analysing a book or piece of media can provide a great deal of enjoyment, fulfilment, and even entertainment.
Even when I don’t enjoy a book that I read, I still walk away from that experience with something, usually understanding myself better.
There seems to be a misunderstanding of what critical reading really is.
And the conversation has centred around extremes: the notion that you’re either reading for fun, completely turning off your thinking brain, or you’re reading to write a thesis about every book you read.
There’s a lot of middle ground between those two extremes, and there are layers to how much you want to engage with a text.
If you’re thinking about why you enjoyed a book or if you’re thinking about what you do and don’t like about the characters, you’re engaging critically with the text or media.
It’s your choice as to how deep you want to go into it.
People seem to forget that analysis and reviews are based on opinions, so even when a review is critical of the quality of the writing or some other aspect, it’s still just one person’s opinion.
You don’t have to agree with it, listen to it, or start an argument about it.
Arguing about opinions is a black hole that is hard to climb out of.
Yes, joining a discussion about something a review stated, or talking about differences in opinion, is a part of critical consumption of media.
But when you want to do this, you need to be willing to have an open mind.
Because opinions are not right or wrong; they just are.
And reviews aren’t asking you to do anything with the book they’re reviewing, or with your own likes or preferences.
When it comes to romance there tends to be a dismissive attitude towards critical consumption.
Many people argue that it’s not worth critically engaging with romance because it’s just a fun, guilty pleasure.
However, this attitude is rooted not only in the “reading is just for fun” sentiment but in misogyny as well because it further dismisses a traditionally female and female-dominated field as lesser than other fiction.
Romance authors don’t just spit out a fully written book without any thought going into it.
They consider the pacing, plotting, wording, and tropes that go into it, just like any other fiction writer.
They think about how to get readers to become emotionally invested in the characters.
There’s a lot to explore and look deeper into in the romance genre, and to argue the opposite is to further perpetuate the low esteem romance as a genre is held in.
As someone with a lot of questions, I love asking questions, because it allows me to learn.
When you mindlessly consume any piece of media put in front of you, and don’t ask questions or discuss the representations, and nobody else does, none of us learn.
And if we never learn, that would mean we, as a society, stagnate.
Critical consumption of media is not about being a snob or sucking the joy out of reading.
It’s not about being right or wrong.
It’s about engaging with the material and understanding it in a more nuanced way, exploring different perspectives and ideas so that we can understand ourselves and the world around us better.
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