To read or not to read?

As a graduate of English Literature, I have always loved reading. When I was a child, my parents used to take me and my brother to our local library every Saturday morning where we could take out 12 books at a time on our library cards and we’d always finish them before next Saturday’s visit. This love of books spurred me on to thoroughly enjoy English Literature throughout my education before I went on to study the subject at university.

I find that there’s nothing quite like the feel of a book and the turning of a page, so the results reported on BBC News today that fewer than 50% of children aged 8-17 read a novel a month outside of school worried me. Additionally, one in eight children claimed they had never visited a bookshop. That’s 12.5%! Perhaps it’s my literature purism speaking but I find this to be a frightening statistic, though not quite as terrifying as the discovery that in the reading preferences of children, text messages came top.

It's never too young to get them reading

The reason I find this to be a worrying state of affairs is because I know how much reading benefitted me. It inspired me to be more creative and I’m sure it improved my writing skills in turn - so what will happen to our children if they live their lives through digital media? A decline in literacy, predict many bestselling authors such as Phillip Pullman and Kate Mosse, pointing to the one in six adults who are illiterate, and little wonder if the younger generation spend their time reading text messages instead of Shakespeare.

Let me assure you that I wholeheartedly embrace the digital age that we live in but I can’t help but feel many of us might now be missing out. With the decline in popularity of books, we are losing an institution as one of the pioneers of literature. Having produced some of the greatest novels, plays and poetry ever written, more needs to be done to entice our youth to step away from their games consoles and pick up a book in celebration, and recognition, of our cultural heritage. I can’t help but wonder whether the decline of the book is directly related to the ‘instant’ culture we seem to have created in our society. We, as a population, seek immediate gratification in most of our activities, as demonstrated in the roaring success of websites such as Twitter and television shows such as The X Factor that provide instant fame.

So what can we do? I would suggest that we need to get kids hooked on books at a younger age. Once we’ve lost them to Facebook, YouTube and Playstations they’ll never come back to the written word which is not only a shame, but may also have lasting repercussions on their literacy skills. Though I suspect this is easier said than done, we need to encourage kids to read from an early age whether this is at home or in the classroom. Aside from bribery with extra packet money or sweets, parents need to instil in their children a love of books from as early an age as possible, as my parents did with me. Along with their Nintendo DS children should be packing a book when they go on holiday with their parents, and reading time should be an important part of their everyday routine at school and at home.

Or is there another way? Whilst I personally hate the idea of reading on a product such as Amazon’s Kindle (that’s the purist in me again) I have to admit that if I had children, I would prefer them to read ebooks rather than none at all. Though I do think the experience is diminished somewhat without that booky smell and the rustle of each turning page, there is something to be said for forming a coalition between technology and books if that’s what it takes to encourage our kids to read. Though I will be resolutely holding onto my library card.

The best things in life aren't free

Despite the violence and chaos appearing to have finally come to an end, the subject matter of the riots and looting in not only London, but across the country, continues to have a dominant place in the headlines. Instead of waking up to find that more windows have been smashed and more victims injured, our attention has been diverted to the questioning of why such extreme rebellion and violence ever happened. Experts, professionals, youth workers and MP’s have all been coming forward to put their answers to the world.

As I’ve been watching the news and browsing the web, there seems such a desperate attempt to try and understand why so many homes, businesses and communities were destroyed, and rightly so. When the trouble began with Tottenham being burnt to ashes, I was under the impression that it was the reaction of a frustrated and hurting society that was dealing with the loss of a local man, with little explanation as to why. Yet, as the events continued, it soon became apparent that some deep, underlying anger had risen to the surface that had been dormant and suppressed for a long time. Now that the volcano had erupted, it wasn’t going to go away without a real bang and now as David Cameron himself said yesterday; it is time to fix this ‘broken society’.

I think it satisfies many to hear that the numbers of arrests made are constantly on the rise every day and this is the first stage of repairing the damage. As time goes on however, there seems to be more and more reasons crawling out the woodwork as to why such violent and disruptive acts were carried out. For me, there is no justifiable excuse as to why such a hideous series of events took place, where family businesses handed down through generations were gone in a flash and homes filled with memories and people’s only possessions were burnt to the ground.

As I watched Sky news the other day, the reporter was interviewing a group of looters, who were explaining the reason why they took such forceful measures. There seemed no remorse, no embarrassment and no guilt amongst them. As I have watched the news over the past week, I have heard answer after answer as to why these actions took place, some saying that the youths who took part feel socially excluded, others stating that we have encouraged a dependency culture where people have come to think that the things in life are free, others have considered racism as an ongoing problem amongst society. I have also listened to people placing the blame on stars and celebrities for influencing the country to be flooded with a materialistic culture and others feel strongly that the breakdown of the traditional family is behind it all.

It saddens me that such excuses are being made as it seems that fewer people are living their lives following the values that I have been brought up on, where irrelevant of your background, your education or your age, you should work hard, live honestly and achieve the best you can. As reporters speak to those involved, who have committed crimes, abused the police force, stolen goods and damaged property, there seems to be this underlying feeling that they are owed something, that society has deprived them of the life that they want to lead. I can easily say that I feel lucky, that I have had a loving family, that I had a good childhood, I worked hard at school, I got into University and now I’m working doing something I love. I understand that things don’t always work out this way for everyone and I’ve still got a long way to go, but if you want something that much you can go and get it- legitimately. This is a word however, that seems to have lost meaning over the past few years as it was pointed out on Sunday Morning Live, with MP’s also having been known to break the rules and help themselves to what isn’t necessarily theirs. If those in charge of the country are living this way, then what example does this set to the rest? In the same way that MP’s were arrested and made to pay back what was owed, looters and rioters should be made to do the same as well as consideration being made for the disruption caused.

Perhaps there a couple of good things to come out of all this, an understanding that there is a need for the restoration of moral values and the need for increased discipline when it comes to crime and disorder and a reassessment of the phrase ‘the best things in life are free’.

Who's really to blame?

Having watched in horror as the riots unfolded last night on the streets of London and beyond, I began to wonder what on earth could be a worse job than being an English bobby on the streets right now. After some deliberation, I realised there was probably just one and that was to be the PR for the Metropolitan Police. In the last twelve months they have had to overcome bad press over the unfortunate death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 riots two years ago, they have endured a barrage of criticism over their handling of the student riots, the phone hacking scandal and now the riots in the aftermath of the death of Tottenham local Mark Duggan.

In the wake of the aforementioned it must be a nightmare task for their PR team to set about winning back the trust and respect of so many of the population of the UK and yet weirdly, in my opinion, I think these latest events will see public opinion sway back in favour of the ‘boys in blue’.

I’ve heard so many commentators on TV suggesting that heavy handed policing, social problems, racism and lack of employment, to name a few, are contributing to the current round of rioting.  I think it’s time we got real and lay the blame at the feet of the perpetrators; the rioters themselves (mainly youths) and the families that raise them. I cannot believe that the parents of these yobs were watching it all on TV and didn’t think to ask themselves ‘where is our little Johnny bless him?‘ And if they did then surely they would have tried to give him a call on the mobile they probably bought him for Christmas to ask where he is and if he’s ok.

Assuming that they actually did this, could they not hear what was going on in the background when he answered and if he didn’t answer, ask him why? Similarly, if the next day ‘Johnny’ had a new TV in his room or a nice new pair of trainers, did they not think to ask him how he came to have these items and then march him off to the local police station? It’s this parental behaviour that is in many ways as odious as the actions of their children and I think all right minded people will feel the same way. 

Let’s be honest, the vast majority of these brave policemen and women are parents with families of their own, yet they are putting their bodies and lives on the line to protect us. I just hope that they don’t think it is in vain, because I truly believe that these events on our streets will see a groundswell of support for the police without the need for any clever PR campaigns, and rightly so.

Rob Nicholls, Managing Director, Publicity Engineers

A Healthy Balance Please!

As a PR in the wonderful world of communications, I read countless articles each week - some intriguing, some concerning and some quite frankly depressing but it was a report I stumbled across today that really got me thinking. In fact it led to feelings of utter frustration and despair but I’ll get to that bit in a minute.

The article, which was published by BBC News, spoke of Ofcom’s recent research into the explosion of smartphone activity here in the UK. The findings of course weren’t surprising. It seems that a third of adults now actively use smartphones on a frequent basis.

As I said, these figures came as no shock. Even my Mother, who struggles to operate her ever-so-user-friendly microwave (sorry Mum!) called me last week to say she’d checked the film times on her new mobile phone and that we were to meet at 8pm, Cineworld Enfield for a showing of Bridesmaids. I nearly fell off my chair but it just goes to demonstrate how smartphones and the internet are changing the way we live our lives. It’s incredible how far technology has come and how much of an impact it is having, not just on teenagers but the older generation too.

I for one couldn’t live without my beloved Blackberry. In addition to old fashioned calling and texting, I use it to check emails, tweet and browse the internet. However, when I started work at Publicity Engineers three years ago (oh how time flies) this wasn’t the case. I would spend hours, wasted hours where I was cut off from the outside world, sat on trains and planes travelling to see clients or attend exhibitions. Now, while I’m on my way to Leeds, Cardiff or beyond, I can stay connected. I can respond to emails ensuring I don’t miss deadlines, update our Facebook and Twitter accounts and carry out any necessary research at the touch of a button, all via a device that fits comfortably in my pocket.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this ability to ‘stay connected’ is powerful and positive. It’s changing the way we work, network and socialise (in most cases) for the better but is there an argument to suggest some of us are taking it too far? Are we losing that all important personal touch and are we letting technology take over?

When the Ofcom report revealed that a worrying 37% of adults and a staggering 60% of teenagers described themselves as being ‘addicted’, this didn’t surprise me either.

Have you ever been to dinner with a group of friends only to look around the table and see that the majority of them are typing away on their smartphones, probably updating their Facebook statuses or tweeting? I have and it not only maddens me, but saddens me too. This is quality time that should involve chatting, laughing and catching up. So if any of my friends are reading this, or if you are guilty of the same crime, please understand that time is precious and while the internet is an amazing tool that we should all utilise, there’s nothing quite like human interaction. In the same way, while email is a quick and effective way of communication, meeting a journalist at a press launch wins hand down every time, as does a face-to-face client meeting over a conference call.

I think the moral of the story here is you certainly can have too much of a good thing and like with most areas of life, a balance is required; a balance between staying connected, keeping up with technology and maintaining healthy personal relationships so we don’t all turn into zombies!