Reading behavior in the digital environment: Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years

Purpose – This study attempts to investigate reading behavior in the digital environment by analyzing how people’s reading behavior has changed over the past ten years. Design/methodology/approach – Survey and analysis methods are employed. Findings – With an increasing amount of time spent reading electronic documents, a screen-based reading behavior is emerging. The screen-based reading behavior is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one-time reading, non-linear reading, and reading more selectively, while less time is spent on in-depth reading, and concentrated reading. Decreasing sustained attention is also noted. Annotating and highlighting while reading is a common activity in the printed environment. However, this “traditional” pattern has not yet migrated to the digital environment when people read electronic documents. Originality/value – Implications for the changes in reading behavior are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.