Next time you are cruising at 37,000 feet, eating a bad substitute to trail mix, and bored out of your mind, take a good look around. Start with the rows around you that allow you to be inconspicuous, then work your way back. What are the people doing?
Each subsequent time I travel, I have noticed an increasing trend in the passengers on-board: as long as the plane has been airborne for at least 20 minutes, a majority of the cabin will be drooling on their neighbors’ shoulders, and the rest are mindlessly watching the free TV or a downloaded movie on their portable device of choice. It seems telling of the state of humanity.
I will make the conjecture that if the plane was still on the tarmac, many of the snoozers and television watchers would be texting, tweeting, snapchatting, or something of the sort. Yet, now airborne, it seems that our mental capabilities are shutoff; almost as if the connectivity of our phones is directly linked to the connectivity of our brains: when the phone is in airplane mode, so are our minds.
The most recent estimates place the average television consumption of Americans at about 2.5 hours per day. Estimates for social media are between 1.5 to 3 hours. However, in a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average American reads only 19 minutes per day. Even more shocking than the meager 19 minutes is that those under the age of 34 read only about 10 minutes per day.
As I sat in my overly cramped seat, book in hand, I realized that my book grouped me with the senior citizen crowd, which probably explains the odd looks I received throughout the duration of my four hour flight.
I would like to believe that the high paced society we live in makes sleeping on a plane necessary. The Center for Disease Control recently reported that 1 in 3 American adults do not achieve adequate sleep; however, as I scanned the audience from my perch, far more than 1 in 3 are counting sheep. And again, far fewer are doing anything that could resemble productivity.
If a random plane is an adequate mix of Americans, then it is no wonder that our education system is in complete turmoil. Even the role models for our youth squander their airborne time. What is the fourth grader supposed to think about any break in the day if they watch their parents nod off in the most uncomfortable position? What about the toddler that is plopped in front of the tiny seatback screen to watch mindless television as a form of personal entertainment?
Not only do the actions on the airplane indicate the troubled state of our society, but it is in such an environment that we are growing the minds of the future generations.
thereisnopeak.com 
I love this. Being someone who didn’t get a smartphone until my senior year of college I can affirm that the constant entertainment it provides has dramatically decreased my reading time. Have you seen those things called “book shots”? Adults can’t finish a whole book anymore! Better than nothing or too much of a compromise? How about podcasts- equal or lesser value than reading?
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I think the idea of finishing a book is interesting to dive deeper into. Warren Buffet would say that once an individual gets bored reading they should stop reading; however, he also means that one should pick up a different book and read that instead. I take a slightly different approach: if we are reading something that is essential, but we don’t like it, then we must metaphorically eat our broccoli. Sure, broccoli sucks compared to oreos, but the veggies are essential for a balanced diet.
In regards to podcasts, I think it depends on the goal of the individual. Certain podcasts allow for an individual to learn at a high level concepts during a time when having a book in their hand is impossible (e.g. driving). However, the detail in which a podcast delves is not equatable to a book in many cases (not all, many). Depends on the level of detail!
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